


As The World Falls Down

by erisgregory



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dark, Fantasy, Inspired by a Movie, M/M, Magic, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-28
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-19 18:21:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 64,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/576266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erisgregory/pseuds/erisgregory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One fateful night, after a particularly bad fight with his best friend, Rachel, Kurt jokingly calls on the Goblin King to take her away.  When she actually disappears, Kurt learns he has thirteen hours to defeat King Sebastian's labyrinth in order to save his friend from becoming a part of the goblin court, forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the movie, Labyrinth (Jim Henson 1986). Beta'd by the ever patient, amazingly talented [G](http://insatiablyyours.livejournal.com/).
> 
>  
> 
> _For Anna_

"Hey bud, when's your other half getting here?" Burt pulled open the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.

"I'm expecting her in about twenty minutes. And please don't call her that, you realize you're only encouraging her belief that gay men make the best boyfriends for their straight female friends, right?" Kurt shot his dad a look and Burt held up his hands in defeat.

"She just has good taste." Burt said with a laugh.

"Not helping Dad." Kurt told him, but he wasn't mad. His father had always been supportive of him and he knew the jokes about Rachel were only that. Just jokes. He wanted all the same things for Kurt that Kurt wanted for himself, but Lima was running short on out gay teens so Kurt had yet to experience the joys of dating. Maybe in college had become something of a mantra for him.

"Seriously though, are you two doing okay these days? I haven't seen Rachel around much." Burt leaned against the counter, casually drinking his water as though he weren't suddenly crossing into a delicate subject.

"Yeah Dad, we're fine. Things are better, that's why I invited her over. We're going to watch Streisand movies, eat vegan cookies, and talk about boys all night." Kurt was tossing the vegetables carefully in the wok, but his mind wasn't on stir-fry or sleepovers. It was far away to New York where he would not be attending NYADA.

Kurt didn't blame Rachel for getting in when he didn't. He'd been as happy for her as he was sad for himself. That's not why they'd had trouble. They'd had trouble because Rachel made his loss all about herself and how she wasn't going to have him there. Eventually Rachel apologized and they'd not spoken of it since.

Burt was satisfied with Kurt's answer and he left the kitchen to go wash up and change before dinner. Rachel arrived in time to set the table and they fell into easy conversation about which movie to watch first and whether or not the basement would provide enough soundproofing for midnight karaoke. Rachel even agreed to try out Kurt's new clay facial mask and he agreed to let her brush his hair, though not style it.

The three of them sat down to eat together and it was nice. Burt behaved and did not call Rachel Kurt's other half, thankfully, and no one brought up the fact that this was the first time she'd been to the Hummel household in almost a month. They laughed and talked and everything was wonderfully normal. It was an image that Kurt would later cling to when everything he knew about everything was falling down around him.


	2. Chapter One

"Funny Girl or Yentl?" Rachel held up the DVD's.

"What about The Mirror Has Two Faces?" Kurt countered.

"Do I really have to answer that, Kurt? Singing!" Rachel shook the movies at him again.

"Fine, Yentl. You always choose Funny Girl." Kurt told her and he flopped down on the side of his bed.

"You love Funny Girl so don't pretend it's a burden." Rachel stuck her tongue out at him but she complied by putting Yentl on for them.

Kurt pretended to pout but soon enough they were both lost in the movie. After that came masks and Kurt painting Rachel's toes. Kurt refused to allow her to paint his because the last time he'd agreed she's picked a delicate pink to match his skin tone and Kurt forgot to remove it off before school the next week. Suffice it to say Kurt was forever thankful it was a friend and not an enemy that caught him, but he'd still been embarrassed. Rachel felt so bad about the incident that she'd bought Kurt coffee for a week. Still, he wasn't going to risk it again, no matter how tempting her Tiffany Blue polish was.

They carefully washed their faces after, removing the masks with washcloths, and snuck upstairs for junk food reinforcements. Normally Kurt didn't indulge, but he'd been particularly careful so far this summer and Rachel's vegan cookies, delicious as they may be, only went so far.

"Please Kurt, pretty please?" Rachel was hovering on her tiptoes, reaching up toward the top shelf which she couldn't reach no matter how hard she tried.

"You get to help me clean it tomorrow." Kurt told her and she hopped a bit and landed flat footed, skirting out of the way so Kurt could reach the popcorn popper above her.

"Thank you!" She told him and hugged his waist as though she didn't get popcorn every time she spent the night with him.

"You're ridiculous." He told her fondly.

"I am fabulous." She replied with a smirk.

"That too." He told her.

Kurt and Rachel headed back down later armed with popcorn, Jelly Belly jelly beans, Pringles, and Coke Zero. They only had a little bit longer before midnight karaoke, so it was gossip time. Unfortunately they never really made it to the gossip portion. Rachel started off with hearing about some friends of theirs getting an apartment together and she then she went right into how unfair it was that Kurt wouldn't be rooming with her next year.

Two sentences into her rant she realized what she was doing and clapped a hand over her mouth. Kurt would have let it go then, but Rachel had other ideas.

"Why can't we talk about it Kurt?" Rachel sat the popcorn bowl aside, a clear sign of her determination.

"We can't talk about it because it's never us talking about it, it's only ever you ranting about how wronged you are." Kurt said. He inwardly winced at how harsh he sounded, but at the same time he couldn't believe they were going to revisit this topic again.

"But Kurt, I just really love you, and my dreams, all of them, they include you. You're there with me the whole way. So I can't help but be upset that you're going to a different school and living in a different dorm all the way across town. What if we don't get to see each other much because we're both so busy? What if my wardrobe starts declining again without you there to make sure I buy all the right pieces? What if I have a particularly bad hair day and no one tells me and I go for an audition and they don't cast me because of my unfortunate hair?" Rachel looked ready to go on but Kurt stood up and walked away from her.

"You're doing it right now!" He accused. His voice was just a little louder than he'd intended. "Not everything is about you Rachel! What about my hopes and dreams and how all of this is going to affect me?"

"Well, of course I care about that too!" Rachel sounded stricken but Kurt was fairly certain she was still cataloguing all of the ways this affected her.

"You only care about how put upon you are! I won't be there to check your clothes and your hair? Do you have any idea how selfish you sound?" Kurt was almost yelling, but Rachel could match him in volume, and she did so.

"We're best friends and we look out for each other and without you there who's going to look out for me?" She cried.

"Who's going to look out for me?" Kurt yelled.

Rachel gave him her haughtiest stare. "Obviously that's the point I'm trying to make here, Kurt, but if you can't see that then I'm going to spend the rest of the night on the couch upstairs, thank you very much!"

She pushed passed Kurt and practically ran up the stairs. Kurt didn't watch her go but he could hear every stomp on every step as she went. He wouldn't be surprised if his dad didn't come to check on them.

Kurt was so mad that he hadn't even noticed he was crying until he was left alone in the silence. He hurried to wipe off the offending tears and then he stood there in his room, hugging his arms around himself in an attempt to stave off more.

First he tried just going to bed, but he was too upset to settle down. Then he tried watching television, but he couldn't focus. In the end he opted for organizing things because that always helped. That was how Kurt ended up sitting in the floor of his closet going through his things and trying to decide what might be worth keeping and taking with him and what ought to be packed away before he left for college at the beginning of fall.

When he came across a familiar box under his crate of scarves he knew instantly he wanted to look through it. Kurt remembered packing it back at the end of middle school. It wasn't taped so he was able to pull apart the top easily and peer down into the interior.

Resting on top was his eighth grade yearbook. Kurt's hand ran over the spine of the book but then he set it aside. Next came the shoebox where he'd kept all the notes he and his best friend at the time, Jennifer, had passed back and forth since they were twelve. This he put to the side of the yearbook. He could take the little box to bed with him after he was done in the closet and look through it at leisure.

There was the stuffed owl he'd slept with since he was little, and this he lifted to his chest, his eyes closing for just a moment. Next was a picture book on mythological creatures, with all his childish notes in the margins. Tucked down in one of the corners he found his snow globe wrapped in bubble wrap. This he withdrew carefully and unwrapped.

It'd been his mother's and it was one of his most treasured possessions from childhood. He couldn't even remember why he'd packed it away. Inside was a castle and the tall windows on the side were painted to appear lit. In each of the windows tiny figures could be seen dancing as though at a royal ball. Kurt remembered lying in bed at night staring into the globe on his bedside table, wishing he could be at the ball. The world inside the glittering globe always seemed magical. Not at all like real life.

When he reached into the box again it was to lift out his old worn down copy of The Labyrinth, his favorite childhood book. Just the weight of the book in his hands made his heart beat faster. Kurt piled the other things back into the box and pushed it out of the middle of the closet floor. Then he took The Labyrinth back out to his bedroom and crawled up on his bed.

Kurt traced the black lettering of the title on the front of the book with a fingertip and then he opened it and began to read. Immediately he was thirteen again, curled up under the covers of his bed, reading by flashlight and hoping he wouldn't be caught up past bedtime by his dad. The book even had a certain smell, one that made his memories even more tangible as he flipped through the pages, soaking up the story of the young girl fighting her way through the labyrinth to save her baby brother.

Fairytales and fantasies served as an escape for Kurt after he'd lost his mother. It was easy for him to imagine himself in the stories, living the great adventures, saving those that could not save themselves, gaining the respect of those around him, and ultimately controlling his own destiny in a way that felt impossible in the real world. As he got older Kurt exchanged the fairytales of his youth for the more readily accepted fairytales that existed on the stage or on the screen.

Kurt flipped to the end, to the final confrontation between the heroine and the Goblin King. He didn't need to read the words, they were all still etched perfectly in his mind, but Kurt read them anyway.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great as yours. You have no power over me." He read aloud.

Just as he had when he was younger, Kurt could picture the scene with perfect clarity. He would square his shoulders, lift his chin, and stare directly into the Goblin King's cold eyes. Each line would be delivered with confidence. The king would be furious but in awe of Kurt's power. Kurt got a shiver straight down his spine just thinking of it.

He nearly jumped out of bed when his phone chirped indicating a text. Kurt shook his head at his reaction and then reached for the phone. It was nearly one in the morning and the text was from Rachel.

Rachel: Are you still up? Can we talk yet? I really need to talk, Kurt. You're being completely unfair about all of this!

Kurt didn't reply he just tossed the phone down on the bed.

"I'm unfair?" Kurt flopped back onto his pillows. The phone chirped again. Kurt almost didn't want to look but he picked it up anyway.

Rachel: You're so immature! I know you're not asleep. You never can sleep when you're upset. Text back or I'm coming down there!

Kurt: Don't you dare come down here Rachel Berry. We can talk in the morning.

Rachel: I knew it! I knew you were ignoring me! I'm coming down there and you and I are going to work this out!

Kurt didn't reply. He knew there was no use. It didn't matter that he was mad, and it didn't matter that he wasn't ready to face her. Rachel was coming and there was no stopping her.

"I wish there was a way to stop her." He whispered angrily.

He rolled over and buried his head under a pillow. Being mature didn't really hold much appeal right now.

"Too bad the goblins can't just come and take you away Rachel Berry." He said. He could hear her now, moving around upstairs. He chuckled softly at his wild imagination.

"I'll do it. Don't think I won't." His voice changed as he fell into character. Kurt sat up in his bed, listening to Rachel's approach in the quiet house.

"I'll say the words." He threatened the air around him.

She twisted the knob and pulled the door open at the top of the stairs.

"I wish..." Kurt's voice was quiet but sure.

He could hear her now on the landing, closing the door behind her, probably because she expected a fight and didn't want to wake his dad.

"I wish..." Kurt stared at the bottom of his stairs, waiting as he heard Rachel coming down.

"I wish the goblins would come and take you away." He whispered.

He waited, but Rachel didn't come any further.

"Come on Rachel, you're already here, there's no point dragging this out." He called out to her. She didn't answer. Kurt waited just a moment with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, and then he got up and stalked toward the staircase.

"Rachel?" Kurt leaned over the railing to look up the stairs, but Rachel was nowhere to be seen. He didn't think she could have made it back up the stairs so quickly, but there wasn't another explanation. Kurt climbed the steps up out of his basement bedroom and went searching for her in the living room. Then in the kitchen and then the bathroom, and still he couldn't find her.

Kurt felt mildly panicky, but he swallowed it down. This was Rachel after all. She was as much a drama queen as he was. So he hurried back downstairs, grabbed his phone and texted her.

Kurt: I thought we were going to talk? Where did you go?

When she didn't reply in five minutes, Kurt called her. When he got her voicemail he left a message.

"Rachel, call me back. We can talk, I'm ready to talk." Then Kurt began to panic, thinking she might have left. Even though this was Lima they both were always careful to let someone know when they were going to be out past midnight just for safety reasons. He would have to go see if her car was still in the drive.

Kurt was in the middle of calling her a second time as he paced across his room when what could only be described as a cackle made him jump and drop his phone. Kurt whirled around but didn't see anyone. The bottom of the stairs was still empty but as Kurt looked around he caught movement and turned in time to watch something small disappear under his bed. Laughter broke out in the air around him and Kurt found himself spinning trying to catch sight of anything. He was frightened that he actually would see something, though.

Kurt couldn't see anything! Around him items were knocked off his vanity and dresser, the duvet was pulled off his bed and just as Kurt was sure he was going to scream he saw them and found he had no voice at all. There was nowhere to go either.

Grouped together both at the base of his stairs and in the doorways to his bathroom and closet were creatures; hideous creatures like things out of a nightmare. They ranged in color from sickly pale grey to putrid green brown and finally to a black so dark he couldn't make out their shape. Some were horned and others had long teeth or noses. They wore bits of tattered clothing that barely hid their misshapen bodies and a few even sported crude weapons.

They came in various shapes and sizes too. On the whole the largest was no bigger than a dog and the smallest he could see was closer to the size of a rat. If not for their sheer numbers Kurt might have tried to force his way past them. Their bulbous round eyes were all fixed on Kurt and together they whispered and snickered at him.

About two seconds before Kurt found his voice to call for help, the little windows set up high on the wall at ground level swung open from the top and the wind blew in and all around the room. The creatures whooped and shouted, raising their fists in the air. Kurt didn't have time to process what might make them all so excited because an owl, a huge white owl, flew right in and circled him.

Kurt raised his hands to fend the thing off but instead of attacking him it disappeared into a burst of light that Kurt had to squint against. When the light faded an intimidating young man stood before him. He didn't look like he could be any older than Kurt was, but his presence filled the room and Kurt trembled from head to toe. His eyes raked over the inky black clothes, the cape, the sword strapped to his side, and Kurt knew who the man was beyond any shadow of a doubt. He was the Goblin King.

The world felt like it was tilting on its axis wrong and the noises of the room became an unintelligible roar in Kurt's ears. He was terrified and uncertain and since when do characters in story books come to life? Then his mind cleared just enough to realize what must be going on.

"Give her back!" He shouted, and the force of his voice surprised him.

The Goblin King just threw his head back and laughed. He mirth was echoed in the chittering laughter of the goblins all around them.

"You're the one that wanted her gone, and now she is." He said happily, his hand rolling on the air for effect.

"I didn't know!" Kurt argued, how could he have known? All of this was insane!

The Goblin King managed to shrug elegantly as his eyes raked over Kurt and Kurt crossed his arms protectively over his chest. No one had ever looked at him like that.

"Why don't you just leave her be." The king coaxed. "I've come with a gift." He reached behind his back and produced what looked like a crystal ball. Glittering images seemed to swirl inside of it, but Kurt couldn't make them out.

"What is it?" Kurt asked. His eyes were glued to the globe in the king's gloved hand.

"It's a crystal; a very special crystal." The king rolled the ball around his palm holding it out to Kurt. "This crystal will grant you the power to make your dreams come true."

Kurt licked his lip absently and finally tore his eyes away from the globe and back up to the king's eyes. They were green, but that wasn't all. They were also ringed with blue, tinged with gold, and mesmerizing somehow. Kurt could hardly breathe standing here looking up into those eyes. He had to shake his head to clear it just so he could focus.

"I just want my friend back." He said, shaking his head slightly.

The Goblin King took a step forward and now they were so close Kurt could feel a strange sort of energy radiating off of him. It was terrifying. Kurt swallowed hard around the lump lodge in his throat.

"Are you denying my gift, Kurt?" The King's voice was much softer and somehow even more threatening than before.

"I'm sorry, I appreciate it, I really do, but I have to get my friend back. I'm sure she's scared out of her mind and it's all my fault." Thinking about Rachel trapped somewhere with no understanding of how or why made him sick. He didn't know if she was even a little bit okay.

The king narrowed his eyes at Kurt and the crystal ball in his hand turned into a snake that slithered around his wrist. "Don't defy me, Kurt." He warned, and then he tossed the snake at Kurt and as Kurt fought to throw it off it transformed into a silk scarf and fell to his feet. The goblins all laughed again, but Kurt ignored them. The king was just smiling at him with malice in his eyes.

"I'm more powerful than you think; you're really no match for me." The king told him.

"Where is she?" Kurt asked. He ignored the king's statement and he refused to back down.

"You know precisely where she is." The king answered, and he stepped even closer to Kurt so that he had to look down to meet Kurt's eyes. Then the King raised his hand and pointed past Kurt. Kurt turned to see find a gateway of sorts where his closet door used to be. It was an archway of sandy colored stone that framed an impossible view past the walls of Kurt's bedroom. It opened so that he could see the a castle far in the distance surrounded by a labyrinth which stretched out unevenly until it reached the bottom of the hill Kurt was apparently looking down.

"That's the castle beyond the Goblin City." Kurt whispered. It was something he'd seen in his mind so many times but never once imagined he would see it for real.

When he turned back to the king he found they were no longer standing in his bedroom, but rather they were both on top of the hill. The sun was just rising in the distance, and the golden light spilled over everything casting an eerie glow that was nothing at all like any sunrise Kurt had ever seen. Here on the hill the trees were barren and what little grass there was seemed parched and dying. Rocks jutted up out of the bare dirt and the whole place had a sort of forgotten feel to it.

"You can still turn back Kurt. You can go to your room, pull out your Vogue magazine, and forget any of this every happened. Just say the word and I'll deliver you back safe and sound." The King held out his hand as though he wanted Kurt to take it.

"I can't. You have to know I can't. I have to get Rachel back." Kurt told him.

"My labyrinth isn't for the faint of heart, it's a treacherous place. Few that enter ever leave it alive." The king warned.

Kurt scanned the labyrinth once more. "It doesn't look that hard." He said, his chin jutting up. He didn't like the king insinuating that Kurt was a coward.

"It's more difficult than you can imagine." The king replied. Then he looked amused for some reason, and his cruel smile turned up at one corner in a smirk. He gestured to a gilded clock hanging from a branch behind him. Kurt noticed it had thirteen hours on it instead of twelve.

"If you're still determined to save her, Kurt, you have exactly thirteen hours to solve my labyrinth and reach the castle. Otherwise your friend will become one of us and will forever be beyond your help."

Kurt wanted to say something, but the king disappeared in another flash of light and Kurt was left standing on the hill looking down over the labyrinth alone. He spared one last glance at the clock, squared his shoulders and faced the castle again. "Still doesn't look that hard. Come on feet." He told himself and then he began jogging with determination down the hill toward the looming outer wall of the king's labyrinth.


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mild violence, brief mentions of torture, nudity.

Kurt had to maneuver around a couple of gnarled trees at the base of the hill and when he came around them he was surprised to see someone, not ten feet away from him. His back was to Kurt but Kurt could tell plainly enough that he was pissing into the man made pond in front of him. Kurt averted his eyes until he heard the guy stepping away and then he hurried forward.

"Excuse me, umm, hi. Can I ask you a question?" Kurt put on his friendliest smile as the stranger turned around.

"You probably can." The stranger said enigmatically. Then he held out his hand to Kurt. "I'm Blaine." He said.

"Kurt." Kurt said as he shook Blaine's hand.

Blaine had honey colored eyes and a warm smile that only faltered for a second when Kurt introduced himself. His dark curly hair was just long enough that it swirled across his forehead and over the tops of his ears and Kurt had the sudden impulse to know what it would feel like to run his hands through it. Blaine was dressed simply in buff colored breeches, a baggy cream colored shirt, and a tan vest loosely laced across his chest. He was carrying a satchel slung across his chest and he had a pouch of some sort attached to his belt. Blaine's brown boots ended at his knees and Kurt had to force himself to stop staring.

"I thought so." Blaine replied. Unlike Kurt, Blaine didn't seem to have any trouble staring and his eyes travelled over Kurt, slowly skimming him from head to toe. Kurt could feel a blush trying to creep across his cheeks. He didn't have time to flirt with strangers though, he had to get into the labyrinth and there was no door in sight.

"I'm trying to get into the labyrinth." Kurt told him, but Blaine just grinned at him and began walking away.

Kurt hurried to follow along. "Wait! I need to ask if you know how to get in." Kurt told him.

Blaine was preoccupied and kept walking even as he answered. "So ask me." He said.

With an exasperated sigh, Kurt began to ask but got distracted when Blaine began stomping furiously at something near the base of the wall. Then he moved on and repeated the process. When Kurt stepped toward the wall he could see a tiny crushed body of what he could only describe as an elf or something. It was dressed in leaves and a green fluid was leaking out of its tiny mouth. Blood, Kurt realized.

"You're a monster!" Kurt cried and he rushed forward to stop Blaine as his foot hovered above another little creature. He fell on his knees and scooped the elf up in his hand, saving it from the inevitable stomping. Blaine crossed his arms and looked down at Kurt as though waiting.

Kurt held the tiny being up to get a better look at it. It had fiery red hair which stuck up in all directions, delicately pointed ears, a smooth pale chest. Abnormally long looking limbs and several leaves stitched together round its middle for modesty. Its green eyes sparkled like tiny emeralds and it smiled at Kurt who was completely charmed. Then it turned and bit into Kurt's thumb so hard it drew blood and Kurt dropped it with a surprised howl.

Blaine started laughing. "Still think I'm a monster?" He asked, and he held his hand out to Kurt so he could help him stand.

"They look so sweet, I thought..." Kurt's voice trailed away as Blaine crushed the thing beneath his boot.

"You thought what?" Blaine asked, fully amused at this point.

"I thought they would be kind or helpful or something, maybe grant wishes." Kurt admitted softly. He had to avoid looking down at the crushed body because no matter what it still looked like a tiny dead person.

Blaine just scoffed. "Guess you don't know much do you?"

"Maybe not." Kurt admitted thoughtfully, but then he remembered what he was doing following Blaine around. "Anyway I was wondering if you knew how to get into the labyrinth." Kurt said.

Blaine nodded, still smiling. "I do." He answered.

Kurt finished dusting off his knees and then he fixed Blaine with a serious look.

"Well, are you going to tell me how or not?" Kurt asked.

"Tell you how to what?" Blaine asked, his smile slipping a little.

"It's impossible asking you anything!" Kurt was getting tired of the run around.

"You just aren't asking me the right questions." Blaine replied.

Kurt thought about this for a moment and tried not to lose what little patience he had left. "Blaine, will you please tell me how to get into the labyrinth?" He asked politely.

Blaine beamed at him. "See that wasn't so hard was it?" He asked. "You get in right through there." He pointed and when Kurt turned his saw that two giant wooden doors were slowly opening in the wall of the labyrinth. Only a moment ago there hadn't been anything there. As the doors opened, a swirl of fog rolled out toward Kurt and Blaine.

Kurt walked slowly toward the entrance, nervous and excited all at once. He knew that the hard parts were all still to come but somehow this felt like a victory. He glanced back at Blaine just once and then he crossed the threshold and entered the maze.

Inside the labyrinth the walls seemed to stretch out either direction as far as the eye could see. The pathway was littered with large rocks, fallen branches, and other piles of debris that Kurt was afraid to look too closely at. He was trying to decide how to begin when Blaine surprised him.

"Behold the great labyrinth!" He said and then he laughed and came around in front of Kurt. Blaine leaned against the opposite wall and smiled that smile that Kurt was starting to find distracting; too distracting.

"So, which way are you heading? Right or left?" He asked.

"I haven't decided." Kurt admitted. "They both look the same."

"You aren't going to get far then are you?" Blaine chuckled but it was soft and warm, more teasing than cruel.

"Well, which way would you go? Kurt asked him. Looking down either direction still left Kurt with no new insights.

"I wouldn't go either way." Blaine told him seriously. "There are all sorts of dangers inside."

"I'm not afraid." Kurt said sternly.

"I didn't say you were. I just said I wouldn't go." Blaine pushed off the wall and came closer to Kurt. "Are you sure going into the labyrinth is a good idea?" He asked.

"I don't really have a choice." Kurt told him.

"Sure you do. You could stay here, with me." Blaine said softly.

Kurt didn't quite know how to respond to that. So he stuck with simplicity and honesty. "I'm sorry, Blaine. I have to solve the labyrinth because I have to save my friend." He said.

Blaine nodded. "I know. I had to try though. People who go in there don't actually come out and now that I've met you, well..." His voice trailed away as did his eyes.

Kurt was surprised by the sudden change in Blaine's demeanor, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat flattered. He had no time to be flattered. Kurt sighed softly.

"I guess I better go, I've decided to turn right." He said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Sebastian told me you were stubborn." Blaine said so quietly Kurt barely heard the words.

"Who's Sebastian?" Kurt asked him, curious not only about Sebastian but also about what else Blaine might have heard.

Blaine just smiled a little ruefully. "The Goblin King."

Kurt shuddered when he thought of the king speaking to anyone about him; and then he felt a blush rising in his cheeks thinking about the king and Blaine talking about him. He couldn't stop and think about it now though. He had to get on his way.

"You never told me which way to go." Kurt realized.

"I kind of did." Blaine replied.

"You're really no help at all!" Kurt shook his head and began to walk away from Blaine.

"You take too much for granted." Blaine said.

"Right, well, thanks for the help Blaine." His voice was only a touch bitter. Kurt turned and left Blaine behind him.

Soon he picked up his pace, jogging down the path between the high walls and searching in vain for any sort of opening in the wall to his left. He was not going to think about Blaine and Sebastian discussing him or if he would see Blaine again. He didn't have time.

Running down the path was frustrating. The wall continued unbroken beside Kurt the entire time. He sped up; he slowed down to catch his breath, then stopped and looked back. Everything looked the same.

"There's no change, it just continues on forever!" Kurt turned around again, searching and finding nothing new.

"Maybe it doesn't though." He said thoughtfully. "Maybe I'm just taking it for granted that it does." This time, when he continued, he scanned the wall even more carefully; willing himself to believe there would be an entrance.

After several more minutes of running and looking Kurt felt no closer to finding an opening. He stopped and slumped against the wall kicking angrily at the braches in the path.

"This is impossible!" His voice echoed off the walls around him and he closed his eyes to try and regain some semblance of control.

"What's impossible?" A high little voice asked.

Kurt's eyes flew open and he looked around but he didn't see anything.

"Down here!" The voice called and Kurt looked down to see a little fairy peering out from behind one of the bricks in the wall. It stepped around so that it stood on a ledge and waved up at Kurt. The fairy had shimmery multi colored wings, light brown hair, and bright eyes. She was dressed in a short flouncy red dress and a giant matching bow sat askew atop her head.

"Oh! Hi!" Kurt said, and he knelt down with one knee so he was eye level with her.

"Hello, I'm Sugar. Are you lost, because you look really lost, and also like you don't belong here at all." Sugar waved her hand at him as though indicating his attire or the way he looked in general. Kurt couldn't tell which.

"I'm lost." Kurt admitted.

Sugar shook out her pearlescent wings and laughed at him.

Kurt frowned, but Sugar just waved her hand at him again. "Sorry, sorry, I don't have a filter of any sort. Pixie." She told him as if that explained it.

"Okay." Kurt said slowly.

"So you're lost, and let me guess, you think the labyrinth is impossible." She summed it up pretty well. At least she seemed to be on the same page as him unlike certain other persons Kurt had met so far.

"Yeah, the wall just goes on forever and there aren't any openings." Kurt looked down both directions again and saw the same thing; endless path, endless walls.

"Oh, well, you're not looking hard enough, dummy. There are openings everywhere. There's one right there." Sugar pointed with her tiny finger at the wall across from them.

"No there's not. It's just solid wall." Kurt argued.

"Use your eyes, will you? The opening is right there." She pointed again and stamped her tiny slippered foot for emphasis. Kurt shook his head, still not seeing it.

"Walk over there and check it for yourself then." Sugar urged.

Kurt stepped forward; still unable to see whatever it was the pixie wanted him to see.

"Keep going." She said, shooing him with both hands.

Kurt reached his hands out. He wasn't about to walk head first into the wall, however his hands didn't touch the bricks like he'd expected. He took a hesitant step forward and smiled back at Sugar. She had her little hands fisted on her hips and a look of satisfaction in her face. Kurt took another step forward and found that he had in fact gone through an entrance and could now choose which way to turn.

He leaned back out and smiled at Sugar. "Thanks! That was really helpful!" He told her.

"I know." She agreed. "I'm pretty awesome. Just don't go that way." She pointed at the direction Kurt was facing.

"Oh! Okay, thanks again!" Kurt said and he turned the other way and headed off down the new path.

Sugar shook her head. "Thank goodness he didn't go that way. If he had he'd have gone right to that castle!" Then she disappeared back into the wall.

Kurt found himself in a series of very narrow passages. The walls were still high, but they were cleaner somehow. There were no crumbling sections, no decaying veins. The dirt beneath Kurt's feet was replaced now by a cream colored stone to match the walls. Kurt alternated his turns, left and right so that he could follow what he believed was a sort of zigzagging path further into the labyrinth. It felt good to be moving and turning, as though he were really getting somewhere finally.

Whenever he came to a dead end, he carefully doubled back and went the other direction. If he had his phone with him all of this could have gone a lot faster, even if he couldn't actually use the phone, maybe he could have used the camera. Even so he felt pretty good about the time he was making now.

When Kurt came around again and found himself in a dead end he spun to go back but instead of the way back out he was faced with a solid wall.

"It changes? That's not fair!" Kurt threw up his hands but some muffled laughter behind him had him whirling around.

Where there had been nothing before there was now a statue of two women twined suggestively around one another. The statues were incredibly lifelike and also very nude. One woman was tall with blonde hair and the other was shorter with a cascade of almost black hair. They were wrapped tightly around each other, their lips almost touching. He stepped closer, unable to help himself and the blonde woman turned her head slightly and smiled at him.

Kurt gasped but the young women just laughed lightly. "Wow, you scared me." He admitted shyly.

"Santana has that effect on people." The blonde woman told him with a grin.

The other woman pulled a bit of a frown but then they were kissing, the jab forgotten along with Kurt. They seemed perfectly able to move their hands and their heads but the rest of their bodies remained frozen in place as they kissed. He cleared his throat after a moment, unable to stand being so close to a display with no way to leave.

"Sorry, I was just wondering if you knew a way out of here." He told them.

The taller one smiled mischievously down at her partner and then they both looked at Kurt.

Santana spoke first. "Oh me and Britts know the way out, but we can't tell you." She said with a smirk.

"You can't? What am I supposed to do?" Kurt asked, he looked around but still there was no way out.

"You have to answer a riddle!" Britts told him. She sounded sort of happy about the whole thing. "If you answer correctly you'll find the door out."

"What if I don't?" He was afraid of what the answer might be.

"You get a door that leads somewhere else." Santana quirked her eyebrow at him.

"Great." Kurt sighed. "What's the riddle?"

"A tiny beast of hair - " Britts began, but Santana cut her off.

"Babe, let me." She turned to Kurt and recited the riddle.

"A mighty beast of the air, it's in his lungs. It has no mouth, yet it has tongues. It does not live, yet it breathes. And when its food is gone, it leaves. It will die if you give it a drink. Yet it cause mighty ships to sink." When she was done she leaned up and kissed Britts again while Kurt stood there pondering the riddle.

"Wait I know this one!" Kurt exclaimed after only a moment. "I've heard it before, it's easy." He said.

The women pulled apart and seemed to wait for him.

"It's fire. Fire meets all the requirements!" There, behind the statue, a big metal door appeared in the wall. It didn't seem to have a handle of any sort, but he walked toward it.

"Good luck!" Britts called to him.

"Thanks!" He told them and then he stepped up to the door. When it opened he couldn't see very far into it but he stepped through anyway. Kurt was really feeling good about this whole labyrinth thing. Soon he would be to Rachel and he could let her know how sorry he was and they could both go home.

The passageway was and the further he got from the open doorway behind him, the darker it got. After it turned Kurt fumbled a bit to see his way. A faint glow from ahead led him on and when the passage curved again he could see a candelabra set on a stone ledge. He lifted it, holding it high so he could get a better look around. The gray stone walls curved up over his head giving the passage the feel of a round tunnel.

The walls all glistened with slowly trickling water, and down along the floor was what looked like seaweed laying in clumps every few feet. Kurt took a deep breath and he was sure he could smell the ocean. He'd only been to the ocean once before but it wasn't a smell you could easily forget. How this tunnel smelled like that was beyond Kurt, but he decided not to take anything for granted. He proceeded with caution.

The tunnel curved again and Kurt could make out a light up ahead. After only a little bit longer Kurt was coming out and blinking in the sunlight. He was standing in a row of hedges and there at the end of the row was Blaine.

Kurt smiled immediately. "Blaine, hi!" He said.

Blaine raised a finger to his lips. "I'm not supposed to be here, but when you solved that riddle as fast as you did I knew I had to come warn you." He whispered.

"Warn me about what?" Kurt asked softly. Blaine stepped close so he could whisper in Kurt's ear and Kurt felt a tingle run down his spine. Blaine's breath flitted over his ear and down his neck and Kurt had to take even breaths to keep himself steady as he listened.

"Sebastian won't like you getting ahead so easily. I can't say much but please be careful. Don't get too full of yourself just because you got one riddle right." Then he pulled back and looked up into Kurt's eyes.

Kurt nodded. "Come with me?" He asked Blaine impulsively.

"I could ask the same of you but we both know you're determined to go on. Just remember what I said." Blaine told him, and then he pushed past Kurt gently and disappeared into the tunnel.

When Kurt exited the hedgerow he was standing in a small courtyard. There was a building to one side, the courtyard which he was standing in now, and one exit through which Kurt could see more of the maze. In the middle of the courtyard was a table set lavishly as though for a party and at the far end sat a man. His head was bowed, resting on his hands, and he didn't raise it as Kurt came forward. The man was wearing a ridiculously tall and misshapen top hat, and his jacket appeared to be stitched together out of a multitude of fabrics and colors. On the table in front of him was an elaborate tea set. Kurt wanted to smile at the image, but instead he crept forward quietly.

Kurt thought maybe he could inch along the low wall around the courtyard and get back into the labyrinth without the man ever realizing he was there, however his plan for sneaking past failed when Kurt tripped over a potted plant and the man's head snapped up.

He began to apologize but the man stood up and his hat fell off. Kurt let out a cry of surprise as the Goblin King strode purposefully toward him, his eyes flashing.

"You're smarter than you look, Kurt Hummel." The king said once he'd gotten close enough to glower down at Kurt.

"You beat my muses' riddle and I have to say I didn't like that at all." The king's eyes flit from Kurt's eyes down to his lips.

"Well you used a fairly common riddle. Children tell it all the time where I'm from, so that's your mistake." Kurt told him defiantly. He didn't feel defiant though. The king was so close, too close, and Kurt was having trouble thinking clearly. Sebastian, he thought, trying the name out in his mind. Somehow it seemed to fit the terrible and beautiful young man before him.

"Are you saying you think my labyrinth is too simple?" The king asked softly and his eyebrow raised.

"Easy as pie." Kurt told him.

The king reached forward and ran his fingers over the buttons of Kurt's shirt and then he snatched his hand back as though he were burned. His eyes narrowed. "I'll just have to up the stakes then won't I?" The king smirked.

"You do that." Kurt told him shortly. His heart was about to pound out of his chest, but he wasn't going to cower before the king.

The king laughed then, so cruelly, and Kurt really was afraid for a moment. What if the king just killed him right now? What if he never had a chance to finish the labyrinth and save Rachel? There was this horrible moment when Kurt wasn't sure what the king might do to him. Then the king stepped back and the light flashed. Kurt looked away, squeezing his eyes shut against its brilliance and when he opened them again, he was alone.

Kurt hurried to leave the courtyard and when he entered the maze again it was of tall, dense, hedges. The ground beneath him was a thick carpet of grass so that everything was green around him. He got back into the pattern of right and left turns, trying to remember which way he needed to go next. He didn't know how long this went on but he was concentrating on it so hard that he didn't notice he was stepping right into a trap.

One minute Kurt was walking, his eyes trained on the next turn ahead, and the next he was rolling around on the ground struggling with a net that held him fast no matter what he did.

"Ooh is it him?" Kurt couldn't see the source of the voice, but there were several it seemed.

"Matches the description alright; ugly." Another said.

"Hey!" Kurt was indignant, but no one was listening to him.

"Is it dangerous?" The first asked.

"Very. Drag it by its feet." A third voice joined in.

When they came around to get Kurt by the feet he could see the goblins. They wore black armor and carried navy flags with a red crest. Kurt began to struggle in earnest as they started to pull him along.

"Let me go!" He cried. He kicked and twisted and fought every inch of the way, but they tied his feet to the saddle of a wide set orange colored beast, that might have been a hairy dragon or something, and it was able to pull him much faster and wasn't bothered at all about his rolling around. Kurt ended up keeping as still as possible so he wouldn't be hurt any worse than he already was as they dragged him down the path.

Kurt felt bruised all over, but the trip wasn't very long. Ahead he could see that same building he'd passed before, though now he was seeing the front. It's looked like he imagined a fortress might. It was dark stone, and square in shape with a drawbridge at its opening. Banners flew from the corners, the same banners the goblins carried. The beast pulled Kurt into the fortress.

Inside his feet were released from the dragon thing but the goblins all trained their spears on him so he didn't struggle to get free.

"Release it from the net." Instructed someone Kurt couldn't see. The goblins immediately obeyed, cutting him free from the rope. As he sat up, Kurt saw the source of the command.

He had shaggy blonde surfer hair, green eyes, full lips, and dimples when he smiled which is what he was doing as he approached Kurt slowly. He wore tight black pants, tall shiny black boots, and a white peasant shirt which was trimmed in lace at his throat and wrists.

"Hello angel." The man said slowly. "My name is Sam and I'm going to take very good care of you." He reached out and ran his hand over Kurt's hair, as though petting him. "You're a lovely angel, too bad I can't see your wings." He said. The way he was looking at Kurt and talking to him made him feel uneasy.

"What wings? What are you talking about?" Kurt asked but the man just stood and laughed as he walked away.

"Strip it." He told the goblins. "Sebastian told me the angel holds great magic and I intend to find out exactly what he meant.

Kurt stared at the back of Sam as he walked off, his mouth hanging open. Right away the goblins were on him pulling off his shirt and shoes, and his pants. He tried to fight them off but they were armed and there were too many of them. No matter how he begged or pleaded they didn't stop until he was fully naked on the cold stone floor.

Then they bound his wrists behind his back and hauled him to his feet. They prodded at him until he shuffled forward, following along behind the one he guessed was in charge.

"Anyone know where we're supposed to put it?" The grey horned one asked.

"Put it next to the leprechaun." The red one said. "The angel can see what happens when Sir Sam is displeased with one of his creatures."


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of torture, language, dark themes.

Kurt was so humiliated and terrified he didn't pay much attention to where the goblins were taking him until he realized he was being marched back outside. Out in the sun, Kurt began looking around. Mostly what he could see looked like a garden. To either side of the path they were on were perfectly sculpted rows of little bushes. Beyond them were beds of flowers in all colors and varieties. If Kurt hadn't been so horrified by his circumstances he would have appreciated that beauty– as it was, Kurt knew they were lovely only from a clinical standpoint.

The pathway curved to the left and sloped downhill away from them. Kurt could now hear what sounded like cries of pain coming from somewhere ahead; screams even. He shuddered and tried to stop, but the goblins urged him on. They laughed and joked about his porcelain skin and what it would look like in a few days time.

"What looks prettiest on pale white skin?"

"Black and blue bruises along its limbs."

"Red lashes on its back."

"Our master will know what to do."

It was difficult not to imagine the things the goblins mentioned, but Kurt was already hyper focused on the sounds coming from ahead and the idea of what he was about to see.

The path curved again and the source of the screams came into view. There was a centaur tied to up to one side of the path. He struggled against his binds, but they looped over and around him and connected to four posts in the ground, preventing him from moving much at all. He stared at Kurt as they passed and Kurt stared back, unable to even think about his nudity in the face of such horror. The centaur's back was covered in a crisscrossed pattern of red welts which caused Kurt's terror to creep back over him, reminding him that he was in just as much danger as the centaur.

Past the centaur, Kurt saw cages. They were huge and gold and rounded at the top like giant birdcages. Each cage held a creature, and as they walked Kurt could see that many of the creatures looked no better than the centaur had. It was like walking through a nightmarish zoo. Here were these fantastical mythical creatures, all real and here right before his eyes, and almost every one of them injured in some way. It made Kurt sick.

Each cages had a plaque at the base, naming the creature within so he was able to read what they were even if he didn't immediately recognize them. They passed a manticore, a chimera, a small girl labeled as a vampire, and mighty white wolf bearing the title werewolf. A unicorn lay in the center of one cage, and a pond in another cage bore the name Kraken. Kurt had no idea how these creatures came to be here or why they were held captive, let alone why they were mistreated, but it was the worst thing the labyrinth had offered yet.

Eventually they came to the cage that would be his and Kurt wanted to flee. His eyes grew wide at the little plaque that labeled him an angel. He wanted to do anything other than climb up into the cage, but as he was still surrounded by spears and broadswords, he climbed in with surprisingly little hesitation.

Once the door was closed Kurt charged at it, but it was heavy and solid and hardly rattled at all as he shook the bars. The goblins just laughed and walked off, completely unconcerned. He resisted the urge to kick at the bars, and instead scrambled back away from the path and sank down with his knees pulled up and his arms around his knees. He wanted to be tiny, he wanted to disappear. Kurt's eyes squeezed shut and he worked on just breathing slowly. He had no point of reference for what might be about to happen, but he was certain it was something he needed to avoid at all costs.

"You're not really an angel are ya?" A soft lilting voice came from not too far away. It was heavily accented but not impossible to understand.

Kurt looked around. To his left the next cage was empty, but to his right there sat a boy. He might have been fourteen or fifteen, and he offered a soft warm smile to Kurt as he spoke. The young boy was wearing somewhat tattered and colorless clothes and his tunic was dirty. Even so he looked healthy enough. Still, considering everything he'd seen on his way in, Kurt couldn't help but think about the ominous fate implied by the goblins. The leprechaun must have angered Sam or something to that effect.

"No, I'm not," he whispered back.

"I thought not. My name's Rory, what's yours?" he asked.

"Kurt."

"Hi Kurt, I'd say it's nice to meet ya, but I suspect you don't appreciate the circumstances much." Rory scooted closer to the bars of his cage, and even though there were several feet between them, Kurt tried to fold in on himself, hiding his nakedness and shame.

"Hey, hey," Rory said softly. "I think I can help."

"Because you're a leprechaun?" Kurt asked.

Rory chuckled softly. "Something like that."

Kurt looked back up at him. He didn't look anything like he expected a leprechaun to look, but then again he wasn't supposed to be taking anything for granted.

"Can you get me out of here?" Kurt asked.

"I can give you information. Information you can maybe use to get out of here," Rory told him.

Voices drifted to them on the breeze then, and Rory tried to peer down the path. Unfortunately it twisted just enough that nothing could be seen.

"Just stay calm and play along," Rory urged him. Kurt was scared but he nodded.

Just then, Sam came into view, trotting down the path toward them. He was alone and he had a bundle in his arms which he tossed through the bars of Kurt's cage.

Kurt didn't move, but continued to eye him warily. Sam just laughed softly. "You're not afraid of me already, are you? I promised I would take good care of you." Kurt didn't answer.

"The carnival's today and you're going to be one of the main attractions," Sam said with a smile. "No one's going to lay a finger on you today." Kurt couldn't help but hear the emphasis put on the word "today"– it made him shudder.

Sam frowned just a tiny bit. "Listen, angel, you and your pretty eyes are going to be just the thing I need to get into the princess' good graces. So when I tell you you're safe, you're safe. No one wants to see some battered and bruised celestial being, alright?" Sam stepped back and his eyes cut over to Rory. Kurt watched as some sort of unspoken communication was passed between them but he had no way to know what it meant.

Then Sam stepped right up to the bars, wrapped his fingers around them and leaned his head close. "You just play your part and I'll play mine," He whispered. Then he looked around quickly as though checking that no one could have overheard.

Kurt didn't know what to think about that so he just nodded, playing along as Rory suggested. Sam seemed pleased with the response so he turned to leave, only glancing back once before he turned the corner. Once he was gone, Rory was back to the side of his cage.

"Could you...?" Kurt's voice failed him just a little. "Could you look the other way for a second? I want to see what he threw in here."

"Sure, sure." Rory turned his back and sat down again.

When Kurt was certain no one was looking, he crawled forward and unfolded the bundle. "My clothes!" he said aloud for Rory's benefit and then he scrambled to get dressed again. Once everything was back on he sat close to the edge of his cage again so they could talk.

"Okay," he said.

Rory turned back around and smiled. "Better," he appraised.

"Much," Kurt agreed. "So about this information..." he hinted.

"Right." Rory nodded. "Well considering what Sam just said I think it can be explained easily enough. So the two things you need to know are about class and words," Rory began.

"Class and words?" Kurt had no idea what he was talking about.

"Yeah. Class. Social order. As in, why do Sam and the Goblin King look the way they do, and not like the other goblins running around here?" Rory raised his eyebrow at Kurt.

"I did wonder, but are you sure that's the most important thing right now?" Kurt asked.

"Actually I'm not going to tell you the why of it; I'm just going to tell you the who of it," Rory grinned.

"Now I'm just confused," Kurt told him.

"Kurt, there is a social order at play here, and Sam's one of the higher ups, understand?" Kurt nodded; he'd figured this out for himself already. Obviously Sam was in charge.

"He doesn't work directly under the king; he works under the princess, Quinn. You see, Sebastian and Quinn aren't related but she's been granted a certain amount of control. It's not important to understand that. What is important to understand is that this carnival, the one Sam mentioned, is Sam's way of getting the princess' attention. He wants to marry her."

"I'm lost. How does this help me at all?" Kurt asked.

Rory just smiled. "Because Sam is going to be so busy worrying about climbing the social ladder he's going to be completely distracted. I'm surprised he even came out to see you himself at all. We probably won't see him again all day."

Kurt shook his head.

"Kurt." Rory said patiently. "Sam can't be seen doing any menial labor; he's not going to be around. At all. Understand?"

Kurt was starting to understand, maybe.

"The guards are all armed," Kurt pointed out.

"That's where words come in." Rory grinned. "Sam told you something important, do you remember?"

"He told me I was safe?" Kurt asked.

"That's right. No one's going to lay a finger on you, to be exact."

Kurt felt hopeful, but it seemed crazy to feel that way. "Are you really saying I can get away because Sam has given orders that no one can touch me?"

Rory nodded. "That's what I'm saying, and he won't be around to take it back."

"That sounds too simple. So I'm just going to walk out of here when they come to get me?" Kurt asked incredulously.

"It's not that simple, I promise, but that's the only part I can tell you. Anyway, I suggest running since it won't take long for the alarm to be raised. Sam will find out and he will rescind his order." Rory's voice grew serious.

Kurt nodded solemnly. "I'll definitely run. I didn't even know what I was going to do when Sam decided it was time to show off my angelic powers. Anyway I have somewhere I have to be."

"Yeah," Rory agreed, "You do."

Kurt was going to ask Rory what he knew about it but he could hear voices again and he was still curious about what the goblins had said about the leprechaun. "Hey, the goblins that brought me here did it so I would know what happened to the creatures that displeased Sam, so I was expecting you to be like all the other creatures I saw on my way in, except you seem fine."

"That's not why you're here," Rory said.

"No, that's what they said," Kurt replied quickly.

"They brought you here because this is where you were always headed." Rory grinned a little mischievously.

"And what they said about Sam?" Kurt asked.

A group of goblins came around the corner toward them, but Kurt was still looking at Rory.

"Let's just say, Sam and I have a complicated friendship." Rory pursed his lips but his blue eyes twinkled. Kurt wanted to know more but their time was up.

The goblins unlocked their cages and hauled them out– they were particularly careful to urge Kurt out without actually touching him. He shot one last look at Rory and mouthed a "thank you" before he stepped toward the goblins. Immediately their spears moved back away from him. He took another step with the same result. Then he rushed forward and the goblins scattered right out of his way.

Kurt didn't waste another second; instead, he ran down the path away from them as they called out and fought among themselves about what to do. Kurt knew he had some pursuers but as his legs were much longer, he soon ran far enough that he left them all behind. He'd done it; he'd escaped!

The end of the zoo came as a bit of a shock when the path veered suddenly and he was faced with entering the labyrinth again. There were three paths ahead of him. The adrenaline pumping through his veins made him want to race forward and just keep running no matter what, but he knew he couldn't leave everything up to chance. Not with Rachel in the king's hands. He took several cautious steps down each path to see where the next turn was. The right path turned back the way he'd come so he ruled that out. The left path didn't have a turn that he could see easily so he ruled that out too. The middle one went forward the direction he'd been running and while it had several turns off of it, it also just felt right for some reason. So Kurt chose the middle one and hurried forward, losing himself in the turns once more.

After running as long as he could stand to, Kurt slowed down and tried to take inventory of his surroundings. This part of the labyrinth was still hedges, but the path was stone. The hedges were tall and tightly sculpted so that each turn simply looked like the last. Kurt had no way of knowing which direction he was heading– he could only hope it was both toward the king's castle and away from Sam's fortress.

Kurt slumped to the ground, still trying to catch his breath. He needed a plan. He thought about picking leaves and laying them on the path as markers but it would only take a breeze to blow them away. Then he wondered if could somehow rub the leaves into the stone to create a mark that way. He was just about to try when he heard singing coming from not too far away.

The voice was sweet and soulful, and even if he didn't recognize the song, it spoke to him somehow. Kurt stood and began walking without ever really making to the decision to do so. A few turns later he came to an archway and through the arch he could see a huge fountain. It was many tiered and made of a brilliant white marble. Statues of men and women lay draped as though playing here and there in the various tiers of the fountain.

He came closer and closer and walked around the wide low pool surrounding the fountain until he saw her: the source of the singing. She was perched on the edge of the fountain and her tail, her lengthy purple tail, rested down in the water. The purple scales reached up high on her waist and the rest of her torso was concealed by her long dark hair. Kurt was drawn forward without even realizing it. He just wanted a better look; he'd never met a mermaid before and here she was, reaching out to him. Kurt noticed the way the light cast rainbows off her tail and her dark skin practically shimmered in the light. She was glorious.

Then she started giggling. Kurt didn't know what to think about that but he didn't think he cared too much if she wanted to laugh at him.

"You better just stay right there," she laughed.

"Why?" Kurt asked, just itching to get closer. He could see that she had tiny jewels in her hair and he wanted to see them up close.

"Because, sweetie, you've fallen under my fabulous spell and if you come any closer you're going to be trapped. I can't have you following me back to my place at the bottom of this fountain." The mermaid's laughter was like bells.

Kurt shook his head– he wasn't under a spell. He stepped forward and then looked down to wiggle his feet. Okay, well, maybe.

"I don't think I can walk away," he admitted. The mermaid just laughed again.

"It's okay, you're not supposed to walk away yet, you have to solve my riddle. But introductions first. My name's Mercedes, what's yours hun?"

"Kurt," he told her. He was actively fighting the urge to step any closer. It was also really hard to worry about being trapped. He thought there were probably worse traps; this one had such wonderful appeal.

"Okay Kurt, here's my riddle. If you answer it correctly, you'll be free, if not we'll take a little dip together, okay?" Mercedes was waiting for something and Kurt realized she was waiting for him to acknowledge the rules. He just nodded slowly, still entranced.

"Good, alright, here goes." Mercedes smiled at him once more then delivered her riddle: "Your freedom lies in what man loves more than life, fears more than death or mortal strife. What the poor have, the rich require, and contented men desire. What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves, and all men carry to their graves."

Kurt worked to follow along with her as she spoke and then he recounted the phrases while he stood there thinking. Each time he thought he had an answer he would realize it didn't match up to all the clues. Mostly the last line, what "all men carry to their graves," kept messing him up, so he decided to focus on that.

Meanwhile Mercedes splashed her tail lazily in the fountain and watched him closely with her sparkling brown eyes.

What all men carry to their graves. What all men carry to their graves. Kurt bit into his lip and he didn't know how much time was passing; actually, he needed a clock because he had no idea how much time had passed since all of this began. Realizing that he didn't know how long he'd been in the labyrinth so far scared him and suddenly Kurt's head cleared. He no longer felt the inexplicable need to get closer to Mercedes, though she was still enchanting in her own right. He also had the answer to the riddle. He was sure of it.

"Nothing," he told her, "The answer to the riddle is nothing."

Mercedes smiled at him again and clapped her hands. "Correct!" she said, and then she lifted her hand and pointed across the way to the arch opposite where Kurt had entered. Kurt thanked her and headed for the archway, now determined to figure out how much time he had left.

He'd only just stepped back into the hedges when a flash of light flashed behind him and he heard Mercedes cry out, "He gave the correct answer!" Kurt went to whirl around but before he could the floor dropped out from underneath him and he plummeted down into pitch darkness.

Kurt screamed the entire way down, he couldn't have stopped the sound if he'd tried. His arms reached out hoping to gain purchase on anything that might slow his fall, but there was only air and darkness and terror. He braced for an impact that might actually be the end of him, but he never felt it. He passed out before he ever hit the bottom.

When Kurt woke up, he didn't know if he was alive or dead. For a moment it had felt as though someone was gently running their fingers through his hair, but he decided that must have been thanks to a serious knock to the head. His own hands encountered nothing when he reached up. Of course that meant he could move, though he felt sore all over. Still he couldn't see or hear anything. He felt cold, and that became his deciding factor. He felt cold and he was laying on something hard. Kurt rolled to his side and began pulling himself up when a voice came out of the emptiness.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." It was the king's voice. Kurt couldn't tell how far away he was. An involuntary shiver passed through him.

"Why not?" Kurt asked, his voice sharp in the darkness. He was cold, he was blind, but he wasn't going to let the king see the effects of what he was doing to Kurt.

"Because you might fall, and this time you won't land safely at all. This time you might never land." The king laughed and his laughter was colder than the air surrounding Kurt.

"Where am I?" Kurt demanded.

"Why you are in my oubliette of course," the king told him, "Picture this, Kurt. You are alone on a tiny island of stone which rises out of an eternal pit. It's not very large and if you step off you die. There's no escape. Your intellect can't save you here and neither can your stubbornness or your biting wit. You're really trapped this time and there are no meddling leprechauns or distracted would-be princes around to help you out. It's just you and the dark for as long as I wish."

"And how long might that be?" Kurt asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I hadn't thought that part out. See an oubliette is a place of forgetting so I might just forget you're here altogether," the king taunted.

"I think you're just afraid I'm going to solve your labyrinth. That's really why I'm here, isn't it?" Kurt spat the words into the dark.

"If you think that then you're a fool," the king said, suddenly serious. "You're really here to think about how much easier all of this could have been had you accepted my offer back in your room when you had the chance."

Kurt didn't have an immediate answer to that. Rachel was gone, he was saving her, the details of why or when or how didn't really matter. All that mattered now was getting her back.

"I see you have no brilliant comeback to sling at me now? Good, I'll leave you to your thoughts." Silence descended once more.

After some time passed, Kurt was hoping long enough that the king really was gone, he rolled over onto his stomach. Then he stretched both hands out in front of him and to the sides, feeling along the floor, trying to find the edge. It didn't take too long to find the drop off point. He'd probably only inched forward a foot. Carefully turning his body he was able to discover that the platform he was lying on was mostly round in shape, maybe perfectly round– that was difficult for him to judge like this– and that it wasn't too much wider than his body when he stretched all the way out. Kurt pulled himself to what he judged to be the center, and let his fingers reach over the edge so that he would know where it was at all times. Then he just held very still and let himself cry.

"It's too soon to give up hope." Kurt wasn't instantly soothed, but he recognized that voice.

"Blaine?" he called.

"Yeah, it's me. We're going to get you out of here," Blaine said. He sounded so sure that Kurt stopped crying and carefully sat up.

"How? I can't see a thing." Kurt's eyes searched uselessly in the dark even though he knew it was pointless.

"You're just going to walk toward my voice," Blaine said.

"I can't! There's no way off this thing, I've checked." Kurt felt panicky again. If Blaine didn't know about the oubliette then how could he help?

"Listen to me, Kurt. You're going to have to trust me on this. The drop isn't far at all. It's just a step down. The thing is you can't feel it with your hand so even if you leaned way over you'd still only feel air. You can step down though with your feet. You can step off the platform and walk right toward me."

"What if I fall? What if I don't go feet first?" Kurt's voice trembled.

"You'd just land on the ground about a foot down. If you want to roll off you can, either way you'll be fine," Blaine promised.

"Couldn't you have brought a light?" Kurt really needed to see the ground. If he could just see it then there'd be no problem.

"The thing is, I did, but this place imposes an absence of light. We can't see it until we walk out of here. Come on Kurt, you can do this. You've been so brave so far. You've stood up to everyone, you can do this." Blaine sounded so certain.

Kurt stood up but he couldn't make himself walk, not yet.

"Courage," Blaine said.

Kurt stepped to the edge carefully, toeing forward until he knew it was right there. Then he took a deep breath and stepped down. It was just a little half step. He laughed with relief.

"Okay?" Blaine asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm off the step, how do I find you?" Kurt asked, his hands out in front of him.

"I don't think you're far now, just take a few steps toward my voice. I'll keep talking until you find me, just put one foot in front of the oth- oomph." Kurt's hands collided right with Blaine's face.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't think that out very clearly." Kurt moved his hands so they were now resting on Blaine's shoulders. He was reluctant to let go though, even after he'd come this far. Blaine was still the only one who knew the way out.

"It's okay," Blaine said, and his voice was just a touch rougher than before.

They didn't move right then, and the moment felt heavy with something Kurt didn't think he could define right now.

Blaine broke the silence then and moved to take hold of Kurt's hand. "Come on; let's get you out of here."

They had only taken a few steps when a light flared up all around them. Kurt jerked, fearing it was Sebastian again, but Blaine just squeezed Kurt's hand a little and said, "It's just my torch. We're away from the light dampening spell so we can see it now."

Kurt laughed a little at his response, but only a little considering everything he'd been through so far. Blaine led Kurt through a series of tight passages that finally brought them to a rickety ladder that led up into the labyrinth once more.

Out in the light sunlight again Kurt had to blink several times before he could keep his eyes open without pain. Thinking about the sun reminded him that he needed to know the time and also what that meant for him.

"Blaine, do you know how long it's been since we met? How long have I been here?" Kurt asked.

Blaine pulled out a silver pocket watch and thumbed it open. He must have been about to answer Kurt when Sebastian burst out of a ball of light and startled them both. He rounded on Blaine right away.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he demanded. The king towered over Blaine, and Kurt was frightened for him. He took a step forward, not really knowing what he could possibly do.

"You're not trying to help our friend Kurt here, are you Blaine?" the king asked.

"N-no," Blaine stammered, "I was helping you. I was taking him back to the beginning."

"You were doing what?" Kurt cried. He rushed forward but the king was blocking his path.

"That's good, Blaine, because I'd hate to think you were working against me in any way." Sebastian's voice was threatening and Blaine was just looking at his feet.

"No, sir, I wouldn't," Blaine said softly.

"What was that?" Sebastian asked, crowding into Blaine's space.

"I wouldn't, sir." Blaine said it louder this time.

The king seemed to consider this. He didn't look back at Kurt, neither did Blaine, they only stood looking at one another.

Kurt was outraged. He hated this. He hated everything. Get captured, find almost immediate escape. Run into another trap, get out, get thrown into the oubliette. It was a ridiculous rollercoaster, but this? This was more than he could take.

"Of course you wouldn't." The king said finally. "If you did we both know what would happen, don't we?"

Blaine was shaking his head, but that wasn't good enough for Sebastian.

"Don't we, Blaine?" He asked. The king reached forward and tipped Blaine's chin up with one finger and then he leaned down so they were so close that Kurt couldn't hear the next part of the conversation.

Kurt felt suddenly that he shouldn't be watching this, that he should leave, but he was rooted to the spot. He still had a few choice words for Blaine too, which he intended to say if they ever ended up alone again.

The king seemed to sense something of the kind because he chuckled and turned on Kurt with a sneer. "See Kurt, some people know their place around me," he said.

Kurt only just resisted flying at the king with fists raised. His fingers still balled up at his sides in fury. "I don't like you," he said sullenly. Maybe it wasn't his best insult but he was too angry to think at all. Sebastian was mean. He was a bully, and he'd just demonstrated to Kurt that not even Blaine was on his side. It sucked.

"Fun. I don't like you either," the king said as he walked away, then he whirled back suddenly. "Oh, and Kurt? It's been almost six hours already. You better get a move on." Then he was gone, just like that.

Blaine was at his side in an instant.

"It's not like that, I swear. I wasn't taking you back to the beginning. I just had to tell him that." His voice was pleading with Kurt, but Kurt felt uncertain and hostile.

"Right," Kurt said.

"I promise." Blaine stepped closer and turned his big amber eyes up at Kurt. "I can still help, let me help."

"How do I know you're not just leading me back?" Kurt asked.

"I guess you don't really," said Blaine softly, "But what choice do you have?"

Kurt shrugged. Blaine was right. Almost half his time was gone and he was getting desperate. "Fine. Lead on." He gestured for Blaine to walk ahead and Blaine did.

They traveled in silence for some time through the hedge maze. Blaine led them through turn after turn and Kurt could only hope they were making real progress. Blaine stopped in his tracks, though, when a cry for help rang out somewhere nearby. It was accompanied by the shuffling sounds of fighting.

Together they crept forward until they could peer around a corner and see what the commotion was. There in a clearing of the maze were a group of goblins surrounding a man who was currently suspended by his legs from a trap. Kurt couldn't see his face because his shirt and jacket were hanging down, exposing his midriff but hiding his head. They goblins circled him, jabbing him with spears tipped in... oh no, they were tipped with little creatures, baring sharp teeth that bit each time they came in contact with the captive. His back and stomach were covered in bite marks.

"We have to help him," Kurt whispered, but Blaine was already backing away.

"No way, we can't get involved," Blaine said.

"Blaine we have to, look at him." Kurt reached for Blaine's hand again, but Blaine just moved further away.

"What happened to courage?" Kurt asked.

"Being afraid right now is the same thing as being smart. You don't know that guy or you wouldn't want any part in this," Blaine warned.

"Are you really going to walk away?" Kurt could hear his voice rising higher than normal.

"Yes, and so should you," Blaine told him, backing further away.

"Well I'm not going to. I couldn't help anyone back at that crazy zoo, but maybe I can help here so I'm going to at least try," Kurt told him.

Blaine just looked helpless for about a minute. "Just... damnit. If you run into Quinn, don't believe anything you see. Don't trust her." Then he was moving off down the path and away from Kurt again.

"Right, gee thanks, Blaine," Kurt murmured as he inched forward to peek around the hedges once more.

"If only I had something to throw," He whispered.


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains goblin violence in the form of a deadly game. It also contains the misuse of the legend of the Jiang Shi.

Kurt took a cursory glance around and found a rock, roughly the size of a baseball. Quietly he stooped to pick it up and aimed for one of the goblin's helmets. It hit with a satisfying thud. The goblin turned around, but Kurt sank back so he was still hidden by the corner of the hedge, his heart racing as he waited. Assuming one of the other goblins threw the rock, the first goblin turned on its neighbors causing a small scuffle to break out among them.

Some were still busy torturing the man, however, so Kurt threw several more, trying to focus on causing confusion and not on the sounds of their captive. The man was hurt and scared and right now Kurt couldn't afford to be anything other than calm.

The goblins turned on one another easily, hurling accusations and threats, and falling on one another without hesitation. Finally they turned their weapons on one another and chased each other off the other direction, disappearing into the maze.

Kurt waited, listening to the sounds of their fighting as they faded into the distance. Then he crept forward slowly until he was standing in the open. The goblins didn't seem to be returning, so he hurried the rest of the way forward.

"Who's there?" the man asked. He couldn't see Kurt at all as his head was still buried beneath his clothes. Kurt couldn't really get a good look at him either except he was obviously very tall and broad shouldered with pale skin and the muscles across his abdomen were softly defined, not that Kurt was looking.

"My name's Kurt, I'm here to help," Kurt told him. His eyes followed the rope from the man's feet to the corner of the hedge where it was anchored.

"Hurry, please! I don't know when they'll be back." The man was panicky but Kurt couldn't blame him, he wanted out of there as quickly as possible too.

"Okay, on the count of three," Kurt told him.

"Wait, don't drop me!" the captive called out, but all Kurt could think about was getting them both as far away from there as quickly as possible. He took a deep breath and counted.

"One-"

"No wait!"

"Two-"

"Maybe you could just lower me gently?"

"Three!" Kurt tugged the knot free and the man dropped to the ground with a groan.

Before Kurt could get over to him, the man rolled onto his back struggling with his bound hands to get free of the shirt that was still mostly over his face.

"Let me help," Kurt told him softly as he knelt on the ground. At first Kurt felt like he was trying to help an oversized kid. The man only hindered his progress, wriggling and fussing until Kurt asked him to please just hold still for one second. Then Kurt was able to tug his shirt down off his face before reaching for his wrists.

Big brown eyes looked up at Kurt and the man breathed out in relief. "Wow, thanks," he said sheepishly. "You just, like, saved my life, and I have no idea how you did it but thanks."

"You're welcome," Kurt answered simply, but he smiled back as he began to undo the rope tying the man's hands and feet.

When all the rope was off Kurt helped him to his feet. He was dressed like something right out of period romance novel, not that Kurt indulged in those (often). His pale pink waistcoat and matching breeches were paired with a heavily embroidered vest and there were ruffles of lace at his throat and wrists. White stockings led to polished black buckled shoes.

The man grinned shyly at Kurt as he stooped to retrieve a white powdered wig from the ground. His long limbs seemed awkward and Kurt could tell being bound upside down hadn't helped at all.

Back on his feet he held his hand out to Kurt. "My name's Finn," he said.

They shook hands and Finn clapped his other hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"Man, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along. I thought I was done for." Finn's voice held a hint of desperation.

"Can I ask what happened?" Kurt asked.

Finn glanced around nervously. "Yeah, sure, but I think we should get a move on first," he said, obviously assuming they were leaving together.

"Probably so," Kurt said slowly. He looked Finn up and down, weighing the options and coming to the simple conclusion that he really couldn't turn down any offers for a traveling companion. Finn was on the run now, he was on the run, it sort of made sense. Finn was now twisting his rumpled wig in both hands and staring at it as though it held some profound answer, possibly wondering if Kurt was going to be willing to go with him.

"Finn?" Kurt began, "I'm trying to get to the castle beyond the Goblin City. You wouldn't happen to know the fastest way there, would you?" Kurt resisted the urge to reach out and stop Finn's hands from their twisting. Finn was really shaken and even though Kurt didn't know all the details, he understood the feeling.

Finn took his time thinking about his answer. He turned around and stood on his toes as if to look over the hedge walls which towered over both their heads. Kurt was starting to think maybe Finn wasn't the best guide after all when he finally said, "I don't know about fastest, but I think I know the general direction from here."

Kurt sighed in relief and gave him a small smile, though it was accompanied by an eye roll.

Finn started off to the left and Kurt followed, but at the last second he spun around and Kurt almost bumped right into him. "Sorry dude, I was just thinking." Finn scrunched up his face with the effort of whatever thought he was having.

"Yes?" Kurt asked.

"Listen, I don't know if you should come with me or not. I'm not the most popular guy around here right now." Finn shrugged his shoulders in a sort of self-deprecating way.

"That's alright," Kurt told him gently. "I had that figured out already. Besides I'm not likely to win any popularity contests around here either so you're no better off in my company."

Finn smiled a genuine smile then. "Friends?" Finn asked.

Kurt just rolled his eyes again but he smiled fondly up at Finn. "Friends," he agreed.

"Cool," Finn said as he turned back around and led them into the maze once more.

For the first few moments, Kurt was tense, waiting for whatever might be around the next turn, listening for sounds of anyone else nearby. He admitted to himself that maybe this labyrinth wasn't as simple as he'd originally thought. It wasn't just the actual maze, which was giant and complicated and ever-changing, but everything hidden inside its walls.

Before he'd rescued Finn the maze was tall hedges, and it still was, but they looked less cared for, rougher. The feeling that permeated the air in the labyrinth, that feeling of being watched or the feeling Kurt used to get thinking about something hiding under his bed, that feeling was stronger now. The hedges were so tall now that the sky was just a strip of blue far above and the light didn't reach all the way down so that he and Finn walked in shadow. Maybe it was just his imagination getting the better of him, but Kurt felt colder now too, as though the warmth were being slowly seeped from his very being. He shuddered.

"So I was going to tell you what happened," Finn interrupted Kurt's thoughts.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, I was just curious," Kurt assured him.

"I don't mind, really," Finn said. "It's probably a good idea for you to know since we're traveling together now." He shot Kurt a smile and then shrugged. "I guess you should know that the princess' guards are the ones that captured me, and they're probably already looking for me."

"I see." Kurt had sort of come to that conclusion already, with what Blaine said right before he took off, but Kurt wanted to hear the whole story so he didn't say anything else.

"Yeah, the thing is Quinn and I were sort of involved. I never meant it to get so serious but before I knew it I was officially courting her and there were parties and functions and rituals. It was exhausting. The princess has this thing about everything being perfect: the perfect clothes, the perfect home, the perfect people around her. It's a lot of pressure and this morning I just lost it. I'm not exactly the perfect type and pale pink is not my color, dude," Finn glanced over at Kurt as they walked.

Kurt didn't say anything – it was just cruel to kick someone when they were down – but pink definitely was not Finn's color.

"Anyways I yelled at her, I told her she was crazy for making her court dress match the decorations, and I told her I wasn't there just to make her look better. I don't know which made her angrier, but before I could turn around I was being hauled off and strung up. I thought I was facing an early grave until you came along," he told Kurt.

Quinn was starting to sound more and more dangerous and Kurt had to think for just a second that maybe Blaine's fear of her was founded, not that he regretted helping Finn. Helping Finn was the right thing to do, it was the only thing for Kurt to do.

They walked on a little longer and Kurt explained what he was doing in the labyrinth and how the king seemed determined to undermine any and all progress he made. He didn't mention Blaine, but Finn sympathized about Sebastian, whom he referred to as His Majesty. Apparently the king didn't spend much time in Quinn's court. However, she and her escort frequented the king's castle at regular intervals so Finn was familiar with his hot temper. Finn didn't have any more insights about getting through the labyrinth, but he did swear to help Kurt rescue Rachel however he could. Finally Kurt had an ally; an ally that would stick with him.

Around the next turn the maze began to narrow. Kurt asked Finn if he was certain they were still going the right way, and Finn swore they were. When the rough hedges gave way to hedges that were cleaner and dotted in a variety of pale colored roses, Finn began to look more and more uncertain. The walls shrank in height too and soon they were walking in the daylight again.

When they stepped out of the maze onto a manicured lawn that led up to a pink chateau, Finn pushed Kurt back into the hedges as fast as he could.

"I'm sorry! I don't know how I got so turned around! You have to go, we need to-" Finn stumbled forward in his attempt to drag Kurt further away, but before Kurt could even help right himself they were interrupted by a woman's laughter.

Finn looked apologetically at Kurt and Kurt was caught between staying and running before he could be captured again. Then he remembered that Finn promised to stick by him and help him, and Kurt just had to stay. His thoughts strayed to Rachel for just a second and his chest tightened to think that he still felt so far from reaching her as the clock ticked away; the woman's voice cut through his thoughts.

"You may as well come out Finn, we have you surrounded," a woman called.

Finn and Kurt stepped from the hedges together, Finn just a step ahead of Kurt as though trying to shield him from whatever was about to happen.

Right away Kurt knew he was looking at the Princess Quinn. She had a tall white wig perched on her head, her skin was powdered and pale, and she wore an enormous pink satin gown that immediately put Kurt in mind of Marie Antoinette. The princess smiled cooly at them both. She was stunning, she was regal, and Kurt could feel the power behind her gaze.

"Finn, where did you get off to? The game is just about to begin and you left us one player short." She came forward and pulled Finn by both hands. "We can't have our game without six players and we can't have our carnival without our game to kick things off." All of this was said as though the princess hadn't ordered her guards to torture Finn. "And who is this handsome young man you have with you?" She looked then at Kurt and narrowed her eyes.

"My name's Kurt, Highness." Kurt wasn't sure what to do right now, but being polite seemed a good way to start.

"Oh really?" The princess looked him up and down slowly and then leaned over to whisper into one of her companion's ears. Before Kurt knew it he and Finn were surrounded by courtiers and guards and being marched forward around the mansion that Kurt kept thinking of as a little pink castle.

Finn didn't say a word during this time, but kept his head down, his shoulders slumped in a defeated way. Kurt walked as straight and tall as he could, trying his best to look like he belonged among the ruffled waistcoats and billowing gowns of the princess' court. By Kurt's estimation there were at least a dozen walking with them now, and goblins for guards along the outer edges of the group, so making a run for it wasn't exactly possible.

Kurt glanced again at Finn and this time Finn was frowning at him. Kurt could see that look in his eyes again, the one that hinted at things he'd wanted to hide before when they'd spoken about Quinn. Things that terrified Finn. It made Kurt's stomach twist uncomfortably as they were escorted along and Kurt wondered if he might be subjected to something worse than anything he'd seen yet.

As they came around the end of the building Kurt could see what looked like several wooden grandstands ahead of them, and they were filled with crowds of cheering spectators. More guards surrounded the stands along with some of the creatures Kurt recognized from Sam's collection. His fear bubbled up in his throat as they were marched forward between the wooden stands and Kurt got his first look at the playing field.

Kurt counted six grandstands in total arranged in what first appeared to be a circle around a large field, however upon closer inspection Kurt realized he was looking at a hexagon. The field was outlined in a six pointed star and dotted with circles about a foot across. In each point of the star stood goblins, and the ones closest to Kurt were dressed in pink tunics. Kurt counted ten goblins filling each point wearing matching colors. The colors were red, black, navy, pink, yellow, and white. It was only then that he realized what he was looking at: Chinese checkers.

When Kurt stopped being distracted by the playing field he realized they were approaching a group standing to the side in front of one of the grandstands. His breath caught in his throat then when he saw who was there. Not only was Sam there, dressed all in red, but the king was there! He was dressed all in black leather with a black hat which he swept off to bow his head to the princess. She in turn curtsied.

Then Sebastian caught sight of Kurt and a smile flitted across his lips. Kurt thought it might be the first time he'd seen the king smile genuinely and he didn't know what he thought about that. He hated his own reaction to the king's good looks. It was more than that though, seeing him like this, in his element so to speak, Kurt could see why he was the king. The way the people moved around him and looked at him. Kurt had to tear his eyes away because Sebastian was starting to smirk at Kurt for staring too long. He'd meant to inspect the ground for a moment but then the princess had them brought forward.

"We found our dear Finn at last and he has with him a guest. Kurt, was it?" Quinn's voice sent chills down Kurt's spine. Kurt nodded his head and the king just raised an eyebrow at him. Then Sebastian shot an amused look over at Sam who held his ground by glaring at Kurt.

"Well of course Finn was supposed to play for your side, your majesty," Quinn was saying, "but he's been very naughty today. I think I'll have to keep him by my side so he doesn't run off again."

"I still need someone from your side, Quinn, as I've loaned you Jesse," the king pointed out with a grin.

"Indeed, and I was thinking that since we have this lovely guest, Kurt, he might play for your side. I was going to throw them both in the dungeon, but this is so much more fun," the princess said too sweetly.

"I like the way you think, Quinn. Let's do this. Kurt can play for my team," the king paused to wink at Kurt, who felt his mouth drop open just a tiny bit, his cheeks grow lightly crimson. "And if he wins for me these two can walk away, but if my team loses he and Finn are yours to do with as you please."

"That sounds like an excellent idea your majesty," Quinn agreed.

The guards moved between Kurt and Finn then, separating them, and Finn shoved back at the guards just a little. It was the first time he'd looked actually angry and not just sorry and it made Kurt wonder what other history there was between Finn and the princess.

Kurt also caught the look on Sam's face when he realized that Kurt would be participating in the game like an equal as opposed to being in chains or whatever else he'd envisioned when his plan had been to present Kurt to the princess as a gift during the carnival.

The king was smiling broadly at Kurt, however, and Kurt was beginning to feel a little unnerved by it. He didn't get to linger there wondering for long, however, because two men in navy and red garb came forward and ushered Kurt to the side.

"Don't be nervous," one of them said.

"Pretty obvious, huh?" Kurt asked as he tried to just breathe.

"Yeah, but don't be, Quinn usually doesn't lose, but Sebastian is the best. You couldn't be in a better place right now," the other said kindly. Kurt of course could think of many better places he could be just then, but he nodded anyway and tried to look more confident.

"Anyway I'm Nick and this is Jeff," the man didn't hold out his hand but bowed in greeting. Kurt gave a little bow back, uncertain of the protocol considering his precarious position right now.

"Have you ever played Goblin's Checkers before?" Nick asked while Jeff held out a navy sash to Kurt.

"Not exactly. It sort of looks like a game we have back home called Chinese Checkers," Kurt told him. He allowed the sash to be placed over his head.

"The rules are simple enough," Nick began. "There are six players, three from each team; the king's court against the princess'. Each player has ten goblins at their command. You move your goblins one at a time and one space at a time with the goal being the most goblins on the opposite base point at the end of the game," Nick gestured into the field as he spoke. "When two goblins from opposing players come face to face with each other on the board they battle to the death and the remaining goblin advances one space."

Kurt felt the color draining from his face. Nick came to his own conclusions about why Kurt suddenly looked the way he did and he clapped a hand on Kurt's shoulder and smiled.

"Just do your best to avoid coming head to head with one of your own team member's goblins as you cross the field," he told Kurt, seemingly proud of how helpful he was being, and then he pressed a small navy velvet bag into Kurt's hand. Kurt looked down at it numbly.

"Your game pieces," Jeff explained. Kurt just nodded and clutched the bag in his hand.

"Are you all set to play?" The king interrupted them with a smile and Nick and Jeff bowed to the king before trotting off, leaving Kurt alone with him.

Kurt felt flustered, he was upset over the idea of watching the goblins kill each other and more so at the fact that he might have a hand in it. Having the king play at being nice and charming was really the last thing Kurt could handle right now. Why did he always seem intent on changing the rules on Kurt? One minute he was threatening rachel's safety and Kurt's freedom, the next he was here with the winking and the smiling. Kurt didn't answer Sebastian right away, he was too busy trying not to get caught staring at him again and the whole thing was making him angry.

"Of course I'd meant for you to attend the carnival as one of the main attractions, but how much more interesting to have Quinn invite you to the game. It was very generous of her, don't you think?" The king stepped forward and Kurt didn't retreat so they stood only a couple of feet apart. Kurt suddenly didn't have anywhere else to look except right into the king's eyes.

"Generous? The same way you've been generous? I don't have time to play this stupid game and I don't have time to go to a carnival and you know it. The only reason you're happy right now is because I'm trapped again and as long as I'm trapped I'm not out there solving your labyrinth." Kurt crossed his arms but the king just stepped closer and bent to Kurt's ear.

His voice was soft now, barely a whisper. "You love this wicked villain act as much as I love your defiant schoolboy act." The king pulled back to look down into Kurt's eyes and he placed a finger under Kurt's chin to tilt his face up. Kurt was afraid at what might be coming next but he wasn't sure if he was afraid the king would kiss him or afraid he wouldn't, a realization which made the moment that much more terrifying.

"Hmm..." Sebastian hummed lightly but didn't follow it up by saying anything. Then he simply smiled and stepped back, releasing Kurt's chin as he went. Kurt swallowed compulsively and tried his best to remember how he'd gotten into this mess and how Rachel was depending on him to save her.

"Good luck, Kurt. Try to remember whose side you're on," the king admonished as he turned to go.

Kurt was escorted to a podium at one point of the star by another man in the navy and red that he now understood were the king's colors, not just Sam's. Sam was at the point to his left and Sebastian was at the point to his right.

As Kurt stepped up onto the podium the man gestured to the top of it and Kurt saw it was a replica of the playing field. There were colored marbles set into it, all that remained were the navy ones to represent Kurt's goblins. Then he remembered the bag and lifted it in question.

"That's right," the man said. "The marbles are charmed to respond to movements on the field and the players are likewise charmed to respond to the way you move your marbles. Don't bother trying to cheat though, the other colored marbles won't respond to your touch."

Kurt nodded in understanding as the man took his bag and placed the pieces on the board. Then he pointed to the other colors and named the players for Kurt.

"I know you've met His Majesty, the Goblin King," he pointed to the black marbles. "The red belong to Sir Sam. You'll want to work with the other players on your team to take the dominant position on the field. The pink belong of course to her Highness, the Princess Quinn." Kurt noticed that the pink marbles were directly opposite the black ones. "The white belong to Lord Jesse," Kurt noticed these were opposite the red, "and the yellow belong to Lady Harmony." The yellow were the ones opposite Kurt's navy pieces. Before he stepped away, the man handed Kurt a pair of blue enameled opera glasses. He was gone before Kurt could thank him.

Kurt raised the opera glasses to his eyes and looked across the field at the players, trying to match them to their names. Harmony and Jesse. Jesse was dressed all in white, from his ridiculously styled white wig down to a white waistcoat that shimmered in the light. It must have had shimmering thread or jewels sewn into it. Either way he looked almost comically overdone.

Harmony, as it turned out, was less ostentatious in her yellow gown. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head and topped with a little yellow hat. Her dress had a square cut neckline and was modest in comparison to the princess'. However, she was waving and encouraging the crowd behind her in a way that practically screamed diva. She was the one Kurt was going directly against so he intended to keep a close eye on her.

Just as Kurt was turning to glance over at the king, who was also glancing back his way, an older looking woman walked out onto the field and the crowd hushed. Unlike the other women Kurt had seen, she was dressed in a man's jacket and breeches. She had short blond hair that seemed almost unstyled and a scowl twisted her face. Satisfied she had the crowd's attention, the woman raised her hands and addressed them all.

"Goblin Checkers isn't a game for the weak of will. It is a game of skill and cunning the likes of which most of you here don't have a chance of ever possessing. Today we have the Goblin King," and here she gestured in a wide arc toward the king's end of the field, "against the Princess Quinn," she repeated the gesture toward Quinn's players. "Play will begin with her highness and will proceed clockwise. Any player attempting to break the rules will be subject to the king's discipline, which I assure you will not be pretty. Everyone prepare yourselves for a bloodbath and let the game begin!" The crowd cheered wildly as the woman moved to the edge of the field.

There she lifted a pink flag and the crowd hushed again as the princess made her first move. Quinn moved one goblin forward, followed by Harmony, Jesse, Sebastian, Kurt, and finally Sam. The game continued like this for several circuits. The colored flag would raise, the appropriately matched goblin would move, and the turn would pass to the next player.

The princess played in an aggressive way, pushing a few goblins further out onto the board as opposed to the king who seemed much more conservative, moving his players all forward only a few spaces. Kurt hadn't played Chinese Checkers in a long time but he knew he had to win somehow and Quinn's team was getting closer at each turn.

The first battle was between Quinn and Sam and her goblin took his down so easily that Kurt had to wonder if he'd ordered them to lose to her beforehand. Kurt decided he probably had, considering he wanted Quinn to take an interest in him and see him as a worthy suitor. It frustrated Kurt though, knowing he wouldn't be able to count on Sam's help in the match at all. Then Kurt realized the bodies of the slain would remain on the field, kicked out of the way by their opponents, and he forgot to care about the Sam and Quinn saga.

The next battle was Harmony against Sebastian and the king's goblin won after lopping off his enemy's head with a sword that looked too large for him to wield. Kurt kept having to look away from the gore. When Kurt's first goblin made it far enough on the field to fight one of Harmony's goblins, hers won.

Kurt was more careful after that. He managed to line up with Sebastian on the board and take on both Quinn and Jesse's goblins. Sam was more reluctant to team up and anyway he seemed bound and determined to let Quinn beat him as his goblins continued to fall one after the other.

Sebastian was the first to move into the home spot near Quinn and Kurt could swear she visibly pouted. She turned her attention on Kurt then, since Sam was nearly done for. Jesse was keeping Kurt's remaining goblins blocked from their destination and Quinn took down another of Kurt's goblin's so that he began to fear he didn't stand a chance. Sebastian changed tactics to help keep Kurt on the board, which was a surprise. Maybe he was just trying to make sure his team won, but there was a little voice in the back of Kurt's mind that seemed to think the king might be actually trying to help Kurt win the game and in turn his freedom to get back to the labyrinth.

Harmony got one of her goblins into base a turn ahead of Kurt and then Jesse began getting his goblins into their spots as well. Sebastian focused on taking out Quinn, who had only secured two goblins in their base, and Kurt worked to keep Harmony under control. Eventually, with the help of the king, he began to get the upper hand.

Right near the end of the game the only players left were Harmony, Sebastian, and Kurt, and it looked like Sebastian had the most remaining players. Then the king took a turn and faced down Harmony before Kurt could, which left Kurt with more players on field than anyone else. If he could get them all to safety he would win.

Harmony turned all her attention on taking out Kurt's goblins but she was no match against the two of them and Kurt wound up with six goblins on base, more than anyone else. He'd won the game. He turned to Sebastian, who even at this distance, Kurt could see was smiling. He even lifted his hand toward Kurt and the crowd in the king's stands went wild. Kurt caught himself smiling back at Sebastian and had to turn away. He didn't stop smiling though. Quinn on the other was glaring. She glared the whole time as escorts came to retrieve each player from their podiums, and her side of the field remained fairly quiet as they lowered their flags in defeat.

The teams were led out onto the field where the losing team congratulated the winning team and the winners were offered flowers from the princess' gardens. Quinn remained stony eyed during the ceremony, Sam kept close to her and Kurt noticed she shot him a little half smile. Harmony grinned and shook Kurt's hand with more enthusiasm than anyone else. Then she proceeded to explain why she'd be even more deadly next time around. Jesse sized Kurt up quickly, frowned a little, and then ignored him from that point on. During all of this the crowds cheered, even those from Quinn's side. Kurt caught Sebastian looking at him once again, but this time he couldn't understand the look in the king's strong green eyes.

Sebastian closed the distance between them and reached for Kurt's hand. Kurt was expecting him to shake it but instead he turned the hand over and lifted it to his mouth, dropping a kiss in Kurt's palm. The place where Sebastian's lips had touched him tingled. Warmth spread out across Kurt's cheek and he looked up in surprise at the king.

Sebastian smiled softly and dropped his hand. "You've won a momentary boon. You'd better take it while you still can, Kurt," he said, then he jerked his chin at Finn who was standing on the sides with the guard around him.

Kurt nodded and slipped out of the winners' circle. Thankfully the guard got the signal and stepped away from Finn as Kurt approached.

"You did great out there, dude. Thanks," Finn said as he gathered Kurt into a surprise bear hug. Kurt returned the hug but had to beat on Finn's back a couple of times to make Finn let go so he could breathe again.

"You can thank me on the way out, I'm pretty sure I've just left several new enemies back there," Kurt said. Finn was just as anxious to go, so the two of them headed off opposite the direction they'd entered.

As they walked, Kurt couldn't help but notice the way the sun had dipped lower in the sky. It made him nervous to think he was running out of time. Finn gave him the time but he didn't know how it related to when he'd arrived so it wasn't much help. For now, he'd have to just hurry and hope that he still had enough time to get to the castle.

Past the grandstands was the carnival. All of the tents were pink- and white-striped and topped with the princess' banners. Quinn's affinity for the color and the decor stood out garishly in contrast to what Kurt witnessed back on the field and the labyrinth in general. He felt like dashing through the carnival as fast as possible but something told him running would only draw negative attention to them. It didn't appear to be up and running yet but it was still far from empty.

They'd entered the carnival grounds in what appeared to be the gaming section. There were booths to either side of a wide dirt path that contained all sorts of games. Upon closer inspection they included recreated pastimes such as pinning various limbs to living creatures, whacking the heads of tiny goblins with mallets, fishing for gizzards, and a live pixie toss. Kurt stopped looking at the booths after that.

Ahead of them, past the game booths, stood several large tents. The signs read things like "Freak Show," "Hall of Illusions," and "The Great Zizes," whatever that was. These were all still roped off so there was no way to see inside. Actually, that was something of a relief to Kurt, considering the other forms of amusement he'd come across in this twisted land. They passed a couple of stages being set up next and then Kurt saw the cages.

He couldn't help shuddering when he saw the familiar cages waiting to display Sam's creatures here soon. They passed the empty cages quickly and Kurt didn't read the signs on any of them, he didn't need to know.

Beyond that were little merchants' booths being set up and they were the first things in the carnival that didn't completely repulse Kurt. He and Finn didn't stop to actually look at anything, but Kurt caught site of fabrics of every color and material, many of which he couldn't even name! There was also a stall selling the most elaborate masks Kurt had ever seen and behind that costumes that looked like they belonged at a Venetian ball.

The food stalls came next and Kurt had to actually tug Finn along at this point. Vendors sold many recognizable items like pastries and fruits, there were pits set up to roast meats and vegetables, and everything smelled strangely normal and appealing even to Kurt. They couldn't risk it though, no time. Kurt reminded Finn that they were fighting time and had his best friend to rescue. The mention of Rachel was able to get Finn pick up the pace again.

At the far edge of the carnival, where Kurt expected to find the labyrinth again, they came up instead to a maze of mirrors. It stretched out as far as the eye could see both to the right and the left and in front of it. Next to the entrance sat a tiny slip of a girl. She wore a light blue gown, modest in comparison to the others Kurt had seen, though still reminiscent of 17th century French style that everyone else around here sported.

She didn't look like she could be much older than fifteen and was lovely with her long brown hair pulled into two pigtails and curled into ringlets. She was also the first person Kurt had met here that wore glasses. Her's were slightly large and black rimmed. Her feet swung above the ground and she smiled at them.

"Hello. You're a little early, aren't you?" she asked in a sweet but heavily accented voice.

Finn scratched his head, but Kurt jumped in to answer her before Finn could say anything. "Yes, a bit. Trying to beat the crowds, but the game is over so we're not too early I hope," Kurt said.

"Not too early for me, my name's Sunshine, keeper of the mirror maze for the day." Sunshine held out her hand and they both shook it. Kurt introduced himself but Sunshine didn't seem to notice that Finn neglected to do the same.

"You understand how this works?" she asked, looking at them both.

"Umm-" Kurt wasn't sure what she meant exactly.

"Well there are several ways out. One way, the correct way, leads out into the fields close to the Goblin City. Another way leads you back to the carnival where you pay a price to begin again, and the third way leads to the Jiang Shi Forest. You do not want to go there," she said, suddenly serious. "The mirror maze keeps us safe they won't come this way, but once you cross into their territory you're pretty much a lost cause."

"Who are they? I don't know what Jiang Shi means," Kurt said. He glanced over at Finn who was looking uncomfortable.

Sunshine jumped in, "They're the undead, the blood drinkers? You know, the vampires that live in the forest? They feed from the living, it's really not safe."

Kurt felt his eyebrows knit together in concern. There was something more dangerous than what he'd seen so far? Something that Quinn's people needed protecting from? Scary. Wait.

"So it's really dangerous but the mirror maze leads to it? How is that a good idea?" Kurt asked.

Sunshine just laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "The danger makes it fun. It's okay though, we haven't lost anyone to the forest in a couple of years. You'll probably be just fine."

"Great," Kurt sighed and looked over at Finn who just shrugged uncertainly.

"Just so we're clear, this is the quickest way to the Goblin City from here, right?" Kurt asked.

"That's right," Sunshine answered.

"Alright, in we go," Kurt told Finn and though Finn hesitated, they both stepped in among the mirrors together.


	6. Bonus Scene: Blaine and Sebastian

Blaine watched the Goblin Checkers match from the stands not too far from where Kurt stood. He'd been simultaneously shamed and proud when Kurt showed up with Finn and then proceeded to win both the match and their freedom. There was still obviously a lot he had to learn about Kurt and he didn't know if he'd get the chance to do so or not.

After the match Blaine watched as Sebastian helped distract the group while Finn and Kurt made their escape, and of course they headed off in the direction of the carnival. If they went straight through they'd come to the mirror maze and Blaine could only imagine how that might end up considering Kurt's habit of running into all things bad in the labyrinth. He moved as if on instinct, not really making the decision to do so before he was on his feet pushing through the crowd.

He'd made it only a few paces past the carnival gate when someone grabbed his arm and spun him around. Sebastian didn't look too angry though, just mostly amused as he pulled Blaine closer.

"What do we have here?" he smiled down at Blaine.

"Nothing," Blaine glanced away but he knew it was useless. Sebastian didn't need to hear him say it to guess what he was doing.

Sebastian shook Blaine a little by the shoulders, forcing him to look back up. "You and I both know you were heading off to help Kurt, just as you've been doing since this all began."

"The mirror maze-" Blaine began, but Sebastian cut him off.

"I have this Blaine. I don't need you sneaking around trying to undermine my authority," though Sebastian's words were harsh his voice was not. It was more of a plea than a challenge, but Blaine didn't want to listen.

"I won't help him solve the labyrinth, I just can't sit on my hands while he's walking into danger. Again." Blaine met Sebastian's gaze as levelly as possible. He knew he was close to crossing the line here but didn't feel like he had a choice.

Sebastian's eyes grew cold. "You think he needs your help? You think he needs you to swoop in and rescue him? Do you think the two of you are friends now?" Sebastian tightened his grip on Blaine. "I ought to just send you to the Realm of the Four Knights now; maybe they could teach you not to place your own insecurities on someone else."

Blaine felt his throat constrict. He was terrified of the knights, anyone with any sense would be. Sebastian had never threatened him with it in all this time, but Blaine could tell he was being serious.

"He trusted me, and I left him, I'm sure we're not friends now," Blaine told him, trying to distract him. It was true, after the incident with Finn he didn't think Kurt would have two words to say to him. Still he couldn't help feeling like he needed to make sure Kurt was going to be okay, even with the threat of the knights hanging over him; even though it meant risking Sebastian's anger.

"No, you're not. Because you don't know him and he doesn't know you, and because I'm telling you right now to keep your distance." Sebastian's eyes took on a determined look. His hands slid up and cupped Blaine's face, gentle but firm, he was waiting for his answer and trying to find it in Blaine's eyes.

"I'll stay away," Blaine whispered. He knew he wouldn't, he couldn't at this point. Maybe Sebastian was right about some of the things he'd said, but that didn't change anything for Blaine.

Sebastian let go then and took a step back, looking Blaine over thoughtfully. It was unnerving to be subjected to his scrutiny, even though Blaine had learned to expect it.

"You won't stay away," Sebastian concluded, "but I have an idea that just might work." Sebastian's eyes sparkled and his lips twisted in mirth. Then he reached inside his coat and pulled out a perfectly plump looking peach and he held it out to Blaine. 'You're going to give him this," he explained.

"What is it?" Blaine asked.

"A gift," Sebastian answered simply.

Blaine took the fruit carefully and turned it around in his hand. "It's not going to hurt him is it?" Blaine asked.

Sebastian heaved an exaggerated sigh, "You really are caught up in that aren't you? Just give him the peach, Blaine, and you and I will go back to getting along just fine."

Blaine's thoughts were in turmoil. He wanted to help Kurt, but there was no way he could face the knights and Sebastian was serious about that. He hated himself just a little when he said, "Alright, I'll give it to him."

"Good," Sebastian said, and waved his arms for Blaine to go.

Blaine slipped the fruit into his satchel and went to turn away but the king grabbed his arm again. This time when he spun Blaine around he was bent so close their noses almost touched.

"Just remember, Blaine, you're not the hero of this tale, but if Kurt kisses you, I'll make you a prince," Sebastian whispered the words against almost against his mouth so his breath flitted along Blaine skin. Blaine's eyes grew wide and round but the king pulled back and laughed.

"Prince of the Four Knights!"

Sebastian's laughter rang out around Blaine filling up the space the king left when he disappeared. Blaine's hands curled into fists as he turned toward the mirror maze to face his fate.


	7. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: More misuse of the legend of the jiang shi.

The beginning of the mirror maze was one long straight path, so he and Finn took their time walking it to let their eyes adjust to the multiple reflections around them. Their safety was obviously threatened in here– and moreover, Kurt felt as if he were being mocked in his helplessness – which made Kurt wonder if he should worry about sinister clowns or something of that sort jumping out. He didn't even want to think about what it might be like to walk through in the dark so he hoped they would find their way out before the sun finished setting in the distance. Finn didn't appear to be any more comfortable as he trudged along quietly next to Kurt.

The maze itself seemed sort of brilliant to Kurt when he tried not to focus on being nervous. The mirrored walls to either side of them were unbroken and spotlessly polished. They were also curved in some places, as Kurt soon discovered. Then at crucial turns, there were free standing mirrors, some with frames and some without. The first one they came to looked like an antique, with the silver from the backing starting to bleed through to create ghostly images in the surface. The next one was wavy and distorted their reflections like a funhouse mirror and clowns rose to Kurt's mind again. Even the path they walked on was made of some sort of mildly reflective surface so that there was no point for their eyes to really fix on.

The effect was that neither of them could really see the paths off to the side until they were upon them. Sometimes they found themselves standing in little alcoves that Kurt couldn't help but associate with a dead end, which only served to make him more nervous. Once, Finn stepped right into a pane of glass that wasn't an opening at all, proving the maze even more complex than before. He was so focused and his nerves strung so tight he didn't even realize neither of them were talking until Finn broke the silence.

"Hey, Kurt?" Finn asked quietly.

"Yes Finn?" Kurt pitched his voice low as well, though he couldn't say why; it wasn't as if there was anyone around to overhear them.

"I think I might be just imagining things, but I swear I saw something just now out of the corner of my eye," Finn said.

"There are about a hundred reflections of us walking through here right now, I'm sure it's just your eyes playing tricks on you. I think that's kind of the point," Kurt sounded surer than he really was. He had that tingling feeling across the back of his neck like someone was watching him and he couldn't shake it.

"I know that, but this didn't look like either of us. I think it winked at me," he added. "I really don't like mirrors, dude. When I was little my mom had this huge mirror in her bedroom. I hated it. I kept expecting to see something weird looking back at me. That's why I've never been in here before." Finn's voice grew softer near the end of his confession. Kurt couldn't blame him really: though he'd never had much trouble with mirrors, he might have if he'd grown up around here.

"Okay Finn." Kurt was still walking, though he'd picked up the pace a little now. "We're just going to keep going. We just have to keep going and we'll get through this thing." Kurt wasn't sure who needed more convincing, really.

They rounded a corner, wound up in one of those dead ends again, and this time when they turned around, Kurt caught a flash of movement out of sync with either of them. He looked back and around but couldn't catch it again so he reached for Finn's arm and tugged him along even faster.

Their shadows were starting to grow long and the setting sun shimmered in the mirrors, glaring in their eyes all bright and blinding. The rays of light bounced around them, giving the appearance that the maze was on fire. It didn't help the feeling that they were trapped here and not entirely alone.

It didn't take too much longer before the feeling overwhelmed them and they broke out into a run. At one point they both went to turn in opposite directions at a junction but Finn grabbed for Kurt's hand and wrapped their fingers together so they would be sure not to lose each other, likely to be irreversibly separated.

The next time they saw the creatures in the mirror clearly as they ran. The creatures ran with them, pointing and waving their arms wildly at them. They were hideous things with spindly limbs covered in what might have been orange and red feathers. They had terrible beaks with jagged teeth and big round eyes and they way they loped along in the mirror didn't look natural by any means.

Kurt was trying to pay attention to where he was going and not to the creatures that were racing along with them, but that became almost impossible when the things began to pluck off their limbs and throw them from inside the mirror, only narrowly missing Kurt and Finn.

Finn began pulling at Kurt, forcing him to speed up even though he felt like he was running as fast as he could around the turns. Kurt had the terrifying thought that the creatures could chase them around in circles until he and Finn couldn't run anymore; then there was no telling what the things would do to them.

Just when he thought he couldn't possibly keep the pace up, they hit a straightaway. Kurt could clearly see the opening ahead and it wasn't the carnival grounds, nor was it the Goblin City. It was a forest. Finn realized what was happening about the same time he did but they couldn't slow down now because the things in the mirror were hopping through the surface and coming right for them. One even threw its head!

About ten feet from the end of the maze the creatures stopped and didn't come any further. They catcalled and booed but they didn't chase Finn and Kurt any further. Instead they stood waiting, obviously blocking the return path. Caught between one known enemy and one slightly unknown, Kurt and Finn faced the forest just as the sun slipped down past the horizon.

The forest had the audacity to have a sign, just at the edge of the path. It was nailed to one of the enormous tree trunks. Goblin City 1 mile, it read, and there was a helpful arrow pointing right into the darkness of the woods.

"We can't go in there," Finn panted. "It's not like anything else you've faced."

Kurt dropped Finn's hand finally and ran his hand through his hair absently. He sucked in air, trying to catch his breath and shot a quick glance back to the creatures still behind them. One of them waved – with one of the other's arms. Kurt shuddered. Then he turned and looked up at Finn, leveling his gaze. "Feel free to give me another option, Finn. I'm all ears."

He was worn out, he was out of breath, he was thirsty and hungry and he just wanted to get to Rachel and get home. The last thing he wanted to do was wander around some forest crawling with vampires.

Finn shook his head. "I get it, okay, I do, but I'm telling you it's too dangerous. They'll eat you alive in there, Kurt, and I won't be able to stop them."

"I have to go in!" Kurt's voice was raised now, but he couldn't help it. "You can do whatever you want, but I'm going in there because I have to get to that stupid castle and save my best friend!"

A quiet beat passed between them as they both panted and then Finn spoke. "Then I'm going with you. I promised I would," he said. He didn't look happy about it though and his voice was tinged with irritation.

Kurt bit his lip and nodded. He wanted to say thank you but he couldn't speak. If Finn disappeared on him now he didn't know what he would do.

They stood only a little longer on the edge of the path, caught in the liminal space between the forest and the maze. Together they walked forward off the mirrored path and onto the dirt path that led into the woods, leaving behind the pale glow of twilight and entering the deep darkness of the forest.

A few steps in, Finn surprised Kurt by pulling an object from his pocket that cast a warm pink glow. He pulled out a second one and handing it to Kurt. At first Kurt couldn't tell what it was. It felt soft and was flexible, but the light it put off was obscuring its actual form. Once his eyes adjusted a little he realized it was a rose petal! Even though the light only illuminated their immediate surroundings, Kurt felt somewhat comforted by it.

Kurt was rolling the petal around carefully between his fingers when Finn interrupted his thoughts. "They're from Quinn's garden, Lochrann roses. You don't have to be so gentle with it, though, they're practically indestructible while they last and these have another couple of days on them."

'Thanks," Kurt said, and really he meant for everything, not just the glowing petal in his hand.

Afterwards they walked along in silence, both understanding the need to keep an ear out. Occasionally Kurt heard the wind rustle the leaves high above them, but other than that the only sound so far was the crunch of their feet on the path. At first that was a relief. After some time, however, Kurt began to realize how strange that was. Admittedly he didn't know what was normal here, but he thought there probably should have been some noises. Night time animals maybe, or insects? There wasn't a single solitary sound. It was too quiet. It was creepy.

"It's too quiet," he whispered to Finn.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Finn whispered back.

"So it's not normal right?" Kurt asked.

"I don't think so," Finn replied.

They fell silent again as they walked. The path was wide enough, but Kurt was feeling closed in here in the dark and the quiet. The trees were really tall here, ancient seeming, from what little he could see. They had huge trunks and gnarled roots that sprang up out of the ground around them. It didn't help that he couldn't see three feet ahead. Nor did it help to think that anything could be out there in the dark behind those giant trees and he wouldn't know it until it was right on top of them. At least they didn't have to walk completely in the dark, he thought.

"So far so good," Finn whispered.

Kurt was just about to agree when Finn suddenly dropped right through the ground beside Kurt, his scream fading as he fell away.

"Finn!" Kurt cried. He had to scramble back away from the edge so he wouldn't fall in after him, but that didn't stop Kurt from edging toward the pit and leaning out with his rose petal to see if he could see anything. He couldn't, of course. The petal wasn't nearly bright enough.

Kurt stood there in the dark hugging himself and calling down to Finn, who never answered, until he couldn't call out anymore, his voice failing him. Unshed tears stung his eyes, but he fought them. If he gave in to crying right now then he might as well give up and he still had Rachel depending on him. Somehow he still had to be strong for her.

Finn was gone, maybe for good, certainly beyond Kurt's help. He couldn't just jump into the pit after him, and he couldn't stand here in the forest hoping he came back. Time was marching on whether Kurt wanted it to or not. Choosing to walk away from the pit and from Finn was harder than Kurt could handle, but he did it. He put one foot in front of the other and promised himself when this was all over he would let himself mull over the fact that he'd failed to keep yet another of his friends safe.

Without any way to gauge the time it was difficult to know how long Kurt has been walking but he thought maybe less than twenty minutes had passed since Finn disappeared when he heard voices nearby and stopped. He pocketed the rose petal, simultaneously hiding its light and plunging himself into darkness.

The dark didn't last long because a fire sprang up to Kurt's left and he turned to see an open circle under the trees, the fire in the middle, and next to the fire were two people, a guy and a girl staring back at him.

The girl was glaring at Kurt and making him feel uncomfortable in his skin. She had long dark hair that was streaked through with dark red and she was wearing an honest-to-god cinematic vampire cape. The guy was similarly dressed, only his outfit was completed by a black top hat that looked like it was straight out of a bad vampire remake. In fact, the longer Kurt stared at the pair of them the more he was convinced that these were either a pair of really adventurous larpers or the terrible jiang shi of the forest weren't as terrible as everyone thought. In any other place it might have been funny. Here, right now, it was just sort of unsettling.

The guy broke the tension of the moment by stepping forward and introducing himself with a graceful bow. "I'm Mike and this is Tina," he gestured to his companion. Mike and Tina weren't exactly the sorts of names that would strike fear into anyone's heart.

"Who are you?" Mike asked.

"I'm Kurt," Kurt told him.

Mike turned to Tina and she smiled a little wolfishly and stepped forward. "You're on your way to the Goblin City?" she asked.

"Yes, I came from the mirror maze," Kurt said.

"Well you're not too far from the city now. Why don't you come and sit by our fire a moment and tell us what brings you this way. We'll share a drink and you can rest your feet." Tina beckoned with a finger.

"That's very kind, but I'm in a hurry. Really, I have to get going." Kurt still wasn't sure about the two of them but he was getting that uncertain feeling in his gut telling him to get a move on. "It was really nice to meet you though," Kurt added, as politely as he could. He waved at them and took a step forward. Suddenly Mike stepped onto the path, reaching out with a hand to stop him.

"It's not considered very good manners to turn down an invitation like that. We don't see very many people around here, the least you could do is sit for a minute and talk to us, have one drink." Mike's hand on Kurt's arm was like steel and it gave Kurt the distinct impression that saying no was not an option.

"You're right. I must have time for one drink," he agrees and he tries to smile even though his skin get gooseflesh at the thought of staying any longer. Despite the low budget costuming they had going on there was still no good reason Kurt could think of for these two to be out in the woods at night like this.

"Oh good!" Tina took a seat by the fire and Mike and Kurt joined her. The strangers made Kurt sit between them.

"Now, Kurt, tell us what brings you this way tonight?" Tina asks and Mike shuffles closer to him in his peripheral vision.

"Well, as I mentioned I was in the mirror maze and I guess I took some wrong turns and wound up here. I still have to get to the city so-"

"The fireys chased you?" Tina cut in.

"You mean those things that take off their body parts?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, fireys, nasty creatures. I hate them," Tina told him.

Mike shuffled forward again, closer to Kurt, and Kurt was started to feel more than just a little trapped.

"Anyway, so that's how I ended up in the forest," he finished. He was trying to think of the nicest way to say goodbye with Mike's hand closing around his arm again.

"Time for that drink?" Mike leaned around and asked Tina.

She nodded her head and several things happened all at once.

Tina grinned at Kurt, revealing the long glistening fangs amongst her teeth, Kurt screamed and jerked out of Mike's grasp, and as they tried to grab for him at the same time he ducked out of reach and scrambled to his feet at a full run.

They were right behind him, he could hear them running and laughing, but Kurt ran as hard and fast as he could, taking only a moment to pull the rose petal back out of his pocket. It didn't help him much but it was enough that he didn't trip over anything as he ran.

"You're not going to get far!" Tina said from not nearly far enough away, "You may as well give up!"

"Yeah, come back, have a drink, you might like it!" Mike taunted.

The path took several quick turns and all of the sudden Kurt was face-to-face with a wall of rock. He turned and tried jogging along it but soon enough realized that it was a dead end. He was finally inescapably trapped. The vampires seemed to already know this because they'd stopped chasing him and were somewhere just out of sight laughing at him.

"Psst. Kurt!" A vaguely familiar voice whispered from overhead. Kurt looked up just as a thick rope tumbled down beside him.

Kurt didn't waste time, he grabbed the rope and started climbing, walking his feet up the wall as best he could. His rescuer tugged the rope up just as Mike and Tina caught on and rushed forward grabbing at Kurt's feet. Mike got a hold of his foot but he kicked and climbed and the rope moved up faster now so he was out of reach.

The vampires didn't seem to have the power of flight, for which Kurt knew he would be eternally grateful. He pulled himself up over the top of the cliff and took the hand offering to pull him to his feet. It was Blaine!

"You saved me!" Kurt cried and he threw his arms around Blaine, hugging him tight, jostling him and the lantern he was holding. Blaine huffed a little in his arms, sounding annoyed, but Kurt held on. He was so happy to see Blaine and to be out of the forest and so sad about Finn and scared for Rachel. It was overwhelming, but at least he still had at least one person on his side.

Blaine struggled a little in his arms and complained, but Kurt ignored him. He leaned down and kissed Blaine's cheek at the same time Blaine cried out, "Don't!"

Kurt didn't have time to react because suddenly he was dropping through the ground and sliding along a steep decline. He scrambled trying to hold on to something but it was too steep and he was moving too fast. Blaine was ahead of him, the light from his lantern casting a glow back up to Kurt until it disappeared altogether. Just like that Kurt dropped forward and fell out onto a ledge. Blaine was right there keeping him from falling off the edge.

"Why did you do that?" Blaine asked as they both tried to get to their feet.

"Do what?" Kurt asked.

"Kiss me," Blaine said. He wasn't looking at Kurt, but instead was looking down into the swirling mist below them.

"I was just so relieved to see you," Kurt told him, hating the petulant sound in his voice. He sounded like he was pouting.

"Well do us both a favor the next time you're relieved to see me and keep your lips to yourself." Blaine picked up his lantern from the ledge and began inching along the cliff so Kurt followed.

"Alright, I will," Kurt replied with a huff.

Blaine looked back at him then. "You see that mist down there?" Kurt nodded. "That's the entrance to the Realm of the Four Knights. We don't want to go there. If we'd fallen into the mist we would have been trapped so I'm sorry if I snapped at you. I think we'll be okay if we can find a way back up." Blaine's voice was softer now and Kurt nodded his understanding.

They slid along the face of the cliff carefully. The ledge wasn't very wide and in several places it was crumbling. Blaine picked his way along slowly ahead of Kurt, trying to find the best places to set his feet. Kurt did fine for several minutes but then a rock crumbled under his foot and he instantly lost his foothold.

Before he could fall all the way, Blaine turned and grabbed him by the wrist, holding him in place.

"I've got you!" he said. "You can climb back up!"

"I can't!" Kurt tried to find purchase with his feet but the rock kept crumbling away causing him to slip.

"Just hang on and keep trying," Blaine instructed but it was no good. Kurt could feel him struggle to hang on and only a moment later they were both falling, their hands wrenched apart midair.

They fell down through the mist and landed with a thud and several groans.

It took only a second for Kurt to look down and see that he had not in fact landed on Blaine, but on Finn! He climbed off and helped Finn to his feet and then Finn crushed him in a now familiar tight hug. The two of them stayed like that until Blaine politely coughed to get their attention.

That's when Kurt got a chance to look at their surroundings. It wasn't as dark here as it was above the fog line. The ground was rock and the mist he'd seen from above curled around them and made it so Kurt couldn't tell if there was anything out there past the fog or if the space they were in was large, like an open plain. They might have been on top of a plateau or at the bottom of a ravine for all Kurt could see. Blaine, on the other hand, wasn't looking around. He was looking over Kurt's shoulder, his eyes wide with fear.

Behind him, on a pale green horse that looked like it belonged in Oz, sat a knight in equally pale green armor. Kurt couldn't see anything of the person beneath the armor; even the knight's face was completely obscured. He (or she, Kurt conceded) sat very still, looking down on them all and making Kurt's stomach knot in dread. Kurt got the sitict impression that whatever was under the armor it wasn't at all human.

Finn sucked in his breath next to Kurt, in surprise, and Blaine came to stand close so Kurt's two friends flanked him as they all stood there. Kurt couldn't have been more grateful just then because when the green knight spoke, Kurt could feel his knees start to tremble.

"You have entered the Realm of the Four Knights. In order to pass through you must face a challenge from each of the four. The first will be mine. If you succeed in your tasks you will be released. If you fail you will remain here in the mists with us for all of eternity." The knight's voice was deep and raspy.

Blaine moved forward a step, but the knight creakily held up his hand. "It has already been decided that you may continue on together, but when it comes to the challenges, you'll find that only one of you has the answers." The knight lifted his gloved hand and gestured to the right.

As they watched the mist began to swirl and glow with a green light. Kurt hesitated but Blaine nodded to him. They had to go in. Kurt wanted to talk about this. He didn't know what he was getting into here but it seemed like maybe Blaine knew. However with the knight standing there Kurt didn't feel like he was free to talk. There was a threatening quality to the knight so when Finn and Blaine both bowed to the knight, Kurt did too, and when they began walking toward the mist, Kurt followed.

Blaine had already sensed what he was feeling because just as they arrived at the edge of the green mist he leaned in and whispered, "These challenges are about facing your fears. No matter what happens though, we all have each other. I've never heard of that being permitted before."

At this point the last thing Kurt wanted was to face his fears. The knight had mentioned that only one would have the answer so there was a chance that not all the challenges would be based on the same person's fears. Even so that meant at least one of them was his, and someone was facing two or more.

When they stepped through, Finn leading the way, Kurt knew right away this first fear was his to conquer.


	8. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Dark themes, possibly triggering due to the mention of bullies and the death of a parent. Also the misuse of biblical themes.
> 
> A special thanks goes out to my dear friend, Anna, for helping me realize the nature of the Four Knights.

The three boys found themselves at the hospital in Lima. Unfortunately it was a place so familiar to Kurt that despite the disorientation of walking suddenly into the hall, he knew where he was in an instant. The blue flecked floors, the flat gray walls, the generic art filling the spaces between rooms: all things Kurt knew as intimately as he knew his own home.

That's what trauma did to a person, he thought. It branded details into a person's mind so that no matter how much time passed everything remained, just waiting to be recollected. The cold of the hand sanitizer gel outside the ICU, the ever present beep beep beepof the monitors. The way the air smelled both stale and sterile at the same time. The squeak of the casters on a patient bed as it wheeled past or the scrunching sound of rubber soles on linoleum; harsh fluorescent light had branded every tube and wire and machine into his mind's eye. The way her hand felt like ice or the way her lips parted softly as he dabbed the balm over them.

Kurt knew then, his fear knew, this wasn't the present at all. This was the past. Almost ten years in the past to be exact.

A nurse rushing past them brought Kurt out of himself and he looked around at the boys beside him. They were looking a little dazed, the pair of them. Blaine had his arms crossed in front of him, hands gripping his elbows as he looked around warily. Finn on the other hand seemed to have a hard time deciding whether he wanted to stare up at the lights above them or over at the nurse's station where a nurse in cat scrubs was typing away at a computer, but this really wasn't the time to try and explain what a computer was so Kurt just let him stare.

He probably should have said something to them right then and explained that he knew where they were and what they were doing here, but he was having trouble forming the words in his mind. Instead, for just another moment, he allowed himself to try and take control of his emotions before they roared to life and took control of him.

That was when his dad came around the corner at the other end of the hall, and Kurt gasped to see himself, his younger self, holding his father's hand. They were far enough away that Kurt couldn't actually hear what Burt said when he knelt down and pulled his young son into a hug, speaking into his ear, but Kurt didn't need to hear, he remembered.

"That's me," he said softly, "That's me and my dad."

Kurt hadn't meant for his voice to come out like that, all low and gruff with too many emotions barely held in check, but there it was.

Both Blaine and Finn looked at him, but they didn't voice the question in their eyes. Finn reached out and put his hand on Kurt's shoulder, just to steady him, and Blaine dropped his arms and stepped a little closer.

They hadn't asked, but Kurt needed to tell them now. He watched for a moment longer as his dad let go of his younger self and then Burt stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. Little Kurt was only alone for the space of a heartbeat before his grandmother was wrapping him up in her arms. Even that was hard to watch.

"My mother died when I was little. She got sick and it all happened really fast, but she passed away here, in this exact room." Kurt could feel his hands start to tremble. Down the hall his grandmother was talking to him, telling him he didn't have to be afraid, but even now, all these years later, he was terrified. The smaller version of Kurt, at a distance, was trembling in his grandmother's arms, shaking his head back and forth while sobbing quietly.

"I was too scared to go in once she got really sick. Even when it was over I couldn't face her. My dad tried to convince me that it was okay and that I could say goodbye, but I couldn't do it. I was afraid of what I'd see if I went in that room. I was afraid she wouldn't be my mom anymore and I couldn't do it." Kurt felt the tears brimming in his eyes as he spoke. Both boys were closer now, offering comfort through quiet understanding.

"For years after I would have these dreams, these nightmares, about walking into that room and seeing awful things when I did." He'd been too afraid to say goodbye. He was afraid even now.

His dad stepped back out of the room down the hall, his eyes red, but his shoulders straight. He reached down and picked up young Kurt's hand and squeezed it. Together they walked back out of sight.

"I think I know why we're here," Kurt said, after his family and his younger self disappeared around the corner again.

Finn nodded, and Kurt felt like maybe Finn understood in a way that only people who have lost a parent in their childhood can understand. Blaine didn't have that same experience in his eyes, but the support was there. Finn's hand dropped back down and both of them waited for Kurt to admit what he was sure they already knew.

"I have to go say goodbye to her," he said.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Blaine asked, his eyebrows furrowed slightly with worry. Kurt's eyes darted up to Finn's, but Finn already knew his answer.

"I have to do this alone, Blaine." Kurt smiled softly in gratitude.

"We'll stand right outside." Finn promised and Kurt nodded back at him as he began to walk down the hall.

Outside the room, his fear felt amplified and he felt like that little boy all over again; the one whose entire world was being upended, the one too afraid to say goodbye.

He wasn't thinking now about the challenges or the knights. He wasn't thinking about the labyrinth or the goblin king. Incredibly enough he wasn't worrying about Rachel just then. It's not that he'd forgotten her, but more that he was focused. He was simply within this moment and there was just a door between him and one of his worst fears.

Kurt wrapped his hand around the handle and pushed. The door swung in rapidly. The room was bathed in the soft light that was on over the head of the bed, but the main light was turned off. All the tubes and wires and monitors Kurt remembered were gone or turned off and pushed to the side. He stepped in, drawn to the bed, to the figure that lay there as though sleeping: his mother.

She was beautiful, just as beautiful as he remembered her, if a little paler. Before Kurt knew it he was right beside her, reaching for her hand like he'd done a thousand times before. It wasn't cold now, just cool and dry in his palm.

"Mom." The name fell from his lips, breaking the silence, and Kurt let go of that sickly twisting feeling in his gut to emit a sob. He bent over and pressed his lips to her temple lightly, his free hand running up to brush her hair off her forehead.

Kurt knew his mother wasn't here. He could feel that difference– she wasn't present, she wasn't lying trapped in her body. He didn't really put much faith in an afterlife, but it was a relief to know she wasn't stuck and suffering.

The whole thing made him ache and hurt, but it wasn't as if he was losing her all over again. He didn't know how long he stayed there in the room, allowing the ache in his heart to fade slowly and be replaced by a residual tenderness, a sense of peace. Eventually he was able to stop crying, to whisper how much he loved and missed her, and finally to let go of her hand.

When he stepped out into the hall his eyes were dry again and he felt as if it were just a little easier to stand and walk. Kurt understood then; he'd been carrying that burden of fear and guilt around with him for years. Now it was well and truly gone.

Before he could say anything to Blaine and Finn thick white fog rolled down the hall toward them and closed over them fast, whiting everything out. When it cleared they were standing outside again, on the rocky barren ground.

"Woah," Finn exclaimed, his eyebrows racing toward his hairline. In front of them was another knight.

This knight was huge, frighteningly huge. The horse he rode brought to mind the Belgian horses Kurt had seen once at the state fair, except for the fact that it was blood red and had a mane so black it was difficult to see the separate hairs– it looked more like a dark mass that fell to the side of the horse's neck. Similarly, the knight was outfitted in deep red armor that was shined to a high gloss. The overall impression was terrifying, especially considering the very large, very black mace swinging from the knight's hand.

Behind the knight was a swirling mass of red smoke. Kurt knew that like before, they would have to step in and face whatever challenge, whatever fear, lay beyond. After what he'd just experienced he didn't know what else there might be, if indeed it was for him.

"You have faced the first fear, but your journey is far from over," the knight's deep voice bounced around them with a reverberating echo. "Either enter the next challenge now or choose to stay in our realm forever."

Kurt glanced quickly at Finn and Blaine. It wasn't as if he felt prepared to move on to the next challenge, in fact he'd rather not face whatever it might entail, but they couldn't stay either. It wasn't a real option at all.

"Are you ready?" Blaine asked. He looked for a moment like he might reach out his hand, but he stopped himself.

"I don't know." Kurt hesitated. He wasn't ready by any means but what choice did he have?

"That first one was rough, Blaine," Finn said. Kurt thought again that Finn might know something about losing a parent. There wasn't any time to get into it now, though. There was never any time in this place.

Kurt got angry just thinking about it. Here he was, supposedly racing a clock to save his best friend, and now they were all trapped in this other realm facing down fears as challenges. There was never a single moment for him to sit down and take a breath or figure out the best strategy for what to do next..

"I think I'm remembering something I read about the knights," Blaine said suddenly. His eyebrows were drawn together in concentration as he stared at the figure before them.

"What is it?" Kurt and Finn asked in unison.

"I once read that some legends connect the knights to the end of ages," Blaine told them.

Kurt didn't really have any idea where this was going, but he knew they didn't have time for him to get a lesson in goblin legends. Even so, if Blaine knew anything that might be helpful or might clue them in on what to expect, he wanted to hear it.

"I don't know what that is," Kurt said. He could feel the tension thrumming through his body– the knight had told them to enter immediately and they were loitering right in front of him.

"It's the end of this age and the beginning of a new one. We have all sorts of stories and prophecies about it." Blaine must have realized he still wasn't being clear to Kurt. "In the legends there are four horsemen and each one represents a different sign that the end is here."

"What are the signs?" Kurt asked, his gaze flitting back and forth between Blaine and the knight.

"The only ones I remember are war and death. War is riding a red horse in all the stories. That's what made me remember." Blaine tipped his head toward the knight, who had remained silent through all of this.

Kurt had a feeling that this information meant something to him but he couldn't place it. There were too many questions trying to crowd in on his thought process. If this was war, was the first knight death? What in Kurt's life related to war really? Nothing he could think of off the top of his head. Perhaps war belonged to Finn or Blaine.

"I suppose we won't know if there's anything to your theory until we get through this challenge," Kurt concluded.

Finn said steadily, "I don't like the idea of it having to do with war though, that sounds dangerous. You better let me go in first."

"Alright," Kurt said. Finn had a point and Kurt didn't like the way the word 'danger' lit through his mind. "Let's go." He let Finn take the lead and Blaine took up the rear and the three of them passed the knight in silence, heading into the red fog with slow and determined steps.

As before, the actual transition through the fog wasn't what was disorienting to Kurt. It was the sudden realization that he was elsewhere, and this elsewhere was also familiar to him. Maybe they wouldn't be sharing these challenges after all, he thought.

"You know where we are again, don't you?" Finn asked.

"Yes, I do," Kurt said slowly. This one wasn't as immediately obvious as the first one.

"We're at my high school." His voice sounded a little strained to his ears, "...But I'm not sure why." Honestly, a few ideas came to mind. There were plenty of reasons to be scared at school these days. Now that Kurt thought about it, he was waging several personal wars that could be the focus of this challenge. At least, for the time being, the hall was empty.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine and Finn and was surprised to find them in jeans and t-shirts. They were dressed in normal clothes. Normal clothes for McKinley, anyway.

In fact, everyone was realizing this at the same time and Finn was picking at the edge of his t-shirt like he was afraid it might attack him. It only occurred to Kurt then that when they'd been at the hospital no one seemed to notice them. He'd taken it for granted that they were just observers, outside of everything happening around them. Something was obviously different this time since Finn and Blaine were both dressed to fit in. He had a very brief moment of vanity where he was glad he'd not yet changed into his pajamas when he'd been whisked away from home, but that was neither here nor there and he'd likely have been changed into school clothes for this anyway, the question was why.

"I don't get it," Finn said. He was craning his neck to look over his shoulder at his rear and Kurt thought the picture would be pretty hilarious if he weren't so busy worrying about what was about to happen to them.

"We're dressed to fit in," Blaine said softly and he looked to Kurt for confirmation. Kurt nodded and then looked around again.

"This time around, we can be seen?" Blaine asked and as if in answer to that question a teacher stepped out, locked her door and glanced their way before walking off down the hall.

"We can be seen," Kurt said, though he didn't need to reiterate it at this point.

He looked up and down the hall they were standing in. They were in the hall outside of the choir room. The banners announcing prom were all still hanging from the ceiling just as they had been the last time Kurt had been here, the same day he'd invited Rachel over to make up for all their missed time.

Sunlight still shone in through the windows behind them, but the hall was empty. The clock hanging above them read 4:37 which meant it was about an hour and then some after school. So why were they here now?

"Maybe we should walk," he said eventually. Finn and Blaine agreed that might be a good plan considering nothing had occurred in the hall and together they walked, their footfalls echoing in the emptiness of the school.

"What's a high school?" Finn asked as they walked.

Kurt pursed his lips. He thought of all the words he'd used to describe his high school experience in the past. If it weren't for Rachel he might have called the place a hell hole. It wasn't far off as it was, but he was practically done with it now. If he could just get home he would graduate soon enough and never look back.

"It's a place of learning," Kurt replied. Finn was looking really thoughtful about that, like maybe he had more questions, but he never got the chance to ask.

A boy streaked around the corner and collided hard with Kurt, knocking him first into the bank of lockers and then to the ground. He apologized breathlessly, but before Kurt or anyone else could say anything he was running off down the hall away from them. Finn reached out a hand to pull Kurt back up as they all looked after the boy, all wondering about the reason for the boy's haste.

Kurt's shoulder throbbed where it had hit the locker and he rubbed at it, still staring down the hall in a daze.

"You've been hurt," Blaine said. Kurt turned back toward him and rolled his shoulder and shrugged a little.

"It's not that bad," Kurt assured him, but Blaine still looked concerned.

"I mean, you feel hurt," Blaine said, as though restating the obvious was somehow helpful.

Finn was confused too, if his expression was any indication, but then Kurt realized what Blaine was saying. In this challenge, one could be injured. They really weren't just outsiders looking in, the way they had been before.

Kurt nodded slowly at both of them in understanding and agreement with Blaine. "I guess this time around we can get hurt," he said. Considering their location and the possibilities, Kurt didn't like this new bit of information at all. In fact, it scared him all the more.

That was the moment six hockey jocks jogged around the corner and stopped in front of them, their leader sneering when he saw them.

"Hey lady, tell us which way the little fish went," Rick said, panting.

"Yeah tell us which way he went or we'll pummel you instead," Scott added, and he emphasized this by raising his fist and jabbing it toward Kurt.

Kurt flinched and then felt the rush of heat as it raced over his cheeks and down his neck. He was humiliated. The last thing he wanted was for Blaine and Finn to see what these guys thought of him or how they treated him. Beneath that embarrassment, though, was fear. There was a reason Kurt rushed home from school every day after glee. The reason he made sure never to give cause to get thrown in detention. He couldn't be caught here at school too early or too late because there was no one around to make sure that Rick "The Stick" Nelson and his friends didn't get bored with slushying Kurt or body checking him. There was no one to make sure the violence never went past the bruising caused by dumpster tosses and the sharp edges of the lockers he was shoved into.

"I think you spooked him, Scott," Rick said and he took a step closer to Kurt. Any relief he might have felt from that action was dissipated as Rick's buddies flanked out and closed the three of them inside a circle.

"Aww, his boyfriends want to protect him." Scott made kissing noises at them and Kurt was furious but he was also trembling too hard to say anything.

"You're right, just look at the way he's looking at me, like he suddenly has the right. Lady face sure is bold all of the sudden." Rick and Scott laughed and Scott just shook his head. Lady, Queen, Fancy. These were among their favorite insults, probably because they knew how deeply they affected Kurt.

Blaine made a move to step forward and Finn looked ready to do the same, but the jocks grabbed at them both, holding them back, pulling them away from Kurt even as they struggled. Kurt was terrified now but he was also angry. Angry that these guys never left him alone, angry that he had to be embarrassed in front of Finn and Blaine, and angry now that his new friends were being attacked just because they wanted to help him.

"Tell them to let go of my friends," Kurt could hear the way his words sounded like a warning, though he wasn't sure what he intended to do about it surrounded by Rick's cronies.

"Oh no Scott, I think the little girl is upset, don't hurt me little girl." Rick twisted his voice into a mockery of a baby voice and raised his hands as if to protect his face.

If his mind wasn't already made up before that moment, it was certainly made up now. Something snapped in Kurt and he stepped right up into Rick's personal space.

"You know what Rick? You go on and call me a little girl. Call me lady and gay face and whatever else it is you have in that tiny head of yours. You think any of those insults are clever? All they really do is show that you're a small minded homophobic simpleton determined to make other people miserable so you can forget how sad and insignificant your life really is. If you want to pummel me, go right ahead because it won't change anything. I'll still be gay and you'll still be a going-nowhere hockey jock doomed to live out your life as a Lima loser." Kurt was still trembling, but it wasn't from fear; it was pure rage.

Rick looked equally enraged, however, and he closed the distance between them and spoke directly into Kurt's face so that Kurt could smell his stale breath.

"You're not fooling anyone, Hummel, you only have the nerve to say that to me because your boyfriends are here, but the minute I find you alone? I'll make you eat your words and there won't be enough of your face left afterwards to tell anyone who did it to you." Rick shoved him, hard, and turned to walk away, but Kurt surged up after him and shoved Rick's back, sending him stumbling forward.

Rick rounded on him and came after him, but Kurt held his ground. "Go on, do it. I'm not backing down any more. You're nothing but a stupid bully," Kurt told him, his voice fierce and steady.

Rick didn't move. He still looked furious but he didn't come any closer, he just stood with his fists clenched at his sides.

"Hummel, you're not worth my time," he said finally. "Come on," he told his friends and they released Finn and Blaine.

Kurt was shocked. He was even more shocked when they headed right out the door at the end of the hall rather than turning to go find their other victim. Behind him Finn and Blaine still waited, so he turned around and found them both smiling. He realized after only a moment it was because he himself wore a tentative grin.

It probably should have occurred to him sooner, but it wasn't until the fog started rolling down the hallway toward them that Kurt realized that was the challenge. That was the fear he had to face, and now it was over.

When the smoke cleared, literally, they were back in the liminal space with a new knight. Finn and Blaine both clapped him on the back and it was hard to shake the sense of pride he gained for standing up for himself, but he knew there was still more ahead and he couldn't get too cocky.

Now, as they stood in front of a new knight, Kurt was having a revelation. He was beginning to understand not only how these challenges were being set up, but that they were changing him as he met each fear and conquered it. The first challenge dealt with his mother's illness and her passing. The second was his need to stand up for himself, to fight his own battle, to wage his own war.

Kurt looked up, to the newest knight. Having that revelation about the challenges was helping him remember something else too– why Blaine's legend was familiar to him. Not just four knights, but four horsemen. As in the four horsemen of the apocalypse. It wasn't really something that Kurt ever gave any sort of credence to, and even now, confronted as he was by the symbolism it didn't mean to him what it might mean to someone else. He studied the knight carefully as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in his mind.

Dressed all in black, this knight was thin, emaciated even. He or she wore very little armor, only a breastplate with indecipherable etchings that crisscrossed over it and a helmet topped with a sharp looking point. The black horse the knight rode was even thinner, so thin it hurt to look at because it looked starved. Its bones stuck out at odd places and it's lips shrank back over yellowed teeth. Kurt had to look away because his stomach gave a threatening lurch. Famine. It had to be.

When the knight spoke, its voice was thin and reedy, filtered through a heavy accent that rounded out all of the vowels. It also made Kurt's skin crawl. "Your third challenge awaits you now. Enter or choose to remain in our realm for all time."

"I know what the knights represent," Kurt told them, even as they began moving forward. Finn didn't fall in with them so Kurt had to tug on Finn's arm a little to get him to stop staring at the knight and come along.

"Pestilence, War, Death, and Famine," Kurt said, "Though I don't know much beyond that. I think this one's famine. The first one was death or pestilence, the second one was war, this one is famine."

Black mist waited for them and if it moved or swirled Kurt couldn't tell. The effect it gave was that a part of the landscape had been scooped out and nothing was left behind. It was as if they were walking toward negative space.

"Yes, yes. I remember now," Blaine said, "That's it exactly." They stopped just outside the mist.

"How does famine work in all this? Are you afraid of starving, because you don't look that skinny to me?" Finn asked.

Kurt glared at Finn for a moment and thought of several ways to defend the fact that he was perfectly trim thank you, but really he was just too uncertain about it himself to argue. He dropped the glare which was good because Finn was starting to look more nervous than he had before.

"I don't know," Kurt and Blaine both answered. They all exchanged a final look before stepping forward. After saying goodbye to his mother and facing down his bullies Kurt didn't know what else there might be. He kept putting one foot in front of the other, though, forcing himself forward until the blackness swallowed him up.

Nothing could have prepared Kurt for what was waiting for them when the mist cleared. He was standing in the wings of a stage. People buzzed all around them. Finn and Blaine were directly beside him, in costume, apparently. This made Kurt glance down at himself. He was in black shoes, black slacks– no, it was a tuxedo. He was in a tuxedo with a black cape. Kurt started to shake. He brought trembling hands up to his face and felt it. A mask. These challenges were all going to be his, he realized that now.

Kurt tore the mask off and stared at it in his hands. The Phantom's mask. Kurt cast his eyes around in a panic. People were rushing around the backstage, preparing the Phantom's lair, and he could hear the people singing out front. It didn't matter if this was a challenge or not anymore because Kurt was being turned around in someone's hands and they were shoving his mask back on and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he was about to go on stage and he was expected to perform. Phantom of the Opera had always been a favorite but there was a reason he'd chosen not to sing it for his NYADA audition. That reason was he didn't stand out as the Phantom. He loved it, but he didn't really relate to the character at all and that made him a mediocre Phantom at best. Even when he didn't get into NYADA, he'd known he'd made the right decision about what to sing, or not sing as was the case.

In the few moments that remained before he was given his cue, Kurt glanced back wildly at Finn and Blaine, but they shrinking back in confusion and didn't look at all in a position to help. A young woman, the woman playing Christine, stepped in beside him but avoided eye contact completely, appearing anxious and uneasy. That didn't improve Kurt's confidence at all. Then Kurt was on and rather than fight it or run away he knew the only option was step out there and do his best, without warm up or rehearsal, and without any stage direction. He only hoped he could survive. It was just the one scene, the end, the final battle. Kurt took a breath, grabbed Christine's hand, and took the stage.

"Down once more to the dungeon of my black despair!  
Down we plunge to the prison of my mind!  
Down that path into darkness deep as hell!  
Why, you ask, was I bound and chained to this cold and dismal place?  
Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face!"

Kurt was gasping as he tried to round on Christine and remember the way this played out in the musical. Though he'd seen the movie probably a hundred times, he'd never seen the production on stage and he knew it would be different, he just couldn't guess in what way. Christine was glaring at him now, and he couldn't tell if that was part of her role or not. Maybe he was as terrible as he'd imagined.

The mob was descending on them from offstage and Kurt had Christine by the arm, urging her to face her fate. Then Raoul entered the scene. Kurt's blood was racing so quickly through his veins that it made a roaring noise in his ear and he had to read the other actor's lips just to keep up.

They argued and fought until Raoul fell into his trap and was strung up, choking. Christine begged for Raoul's life, Raoul scorned him for forcing her to lie and before Kurt knew what was happening Christine was right in front of him leaning in, kissing him. Kurt couldn't even feel the contact of her lips, he was so scared. He tried not to think about the audience out there. He tried not to think about his failed West Side Story audition when he'd made everyone, including Rachel, laugh when he'd tried to kiss her as Romeo.

All of it was right there though, right at the front of his mind along with the knowledge that parts like this weren't written for guys like him. His father's words to him, advising Kurt to write his own parts, they'd meant so much to him before. This wasn't that sort of musical, though. This was the Phantom of the Opera.

Kurt broke the kiss and told them both to leave. He tried to throw himself into the part as best he could, tried to be convincing. Then it was just him, on the stage alone, holding Christine's veil while their voices faded into the distance. He stood, his knees shaking, his fingers twisting the tulle in his hands until it hurt, and he sang his final lines facing the darkness of the theater and the crowd he knew was there whether he could see them or not.

"It's over now, the music of the night..."

Kurt held the final note as long as he could. The music came to an end and he stood straight, breathing heavy, trembling, and waiting. The audience was silent. They hated him. Oh my god, he thought. Kurt couldn't move, but he glanced quickly to the wings where he could just make out Blaine and Finn standing there looking shocked, Finn's mouth hanging open. He must have been horrible, awkward, too differentto pull off being the Phantom.

Then the audience broke out into a deafening applause. The lights adjusted enough that he could see them all coming to their feet, clapping for him. Standing for him, cheering for him, and throwing flowers up onto the stage for him. Soon the lights cut out and Kurt was swept back into the congratulations of the cast. Christine hugged him right before the lights came up and she stepped forward. Kurt wanted to stay, for just a moment. He wanted to feel that high just a little longer, but Finn and Blaine were waiting for him. Rachel was waiting for him.

He slipped off to the side and was enveloped in Finn's hug. Blaine was beaming and Kurt couldn't help feeling proud, even though he knew he wasn't on Broadway really, even though he'd only just stepped in at the end. He'd sung his heart out and he'd played a role he never thought he could, real or not. The boys were still congratulating him as the fog rolled over them.

Kurt didn't notice, he was thinking about Famine and trying to work out how it related to what he'd just experienced. He came up with only one plausible answer. Something he wanted, something he was starved for: fame. Fame meant taking risks, facing fears, and above all else never backing down. When he'd missed his chance to go to NYADA, Kurt took a hit to his confidence. Maybe now, now that he'd looked that fear in the eye, he could come to accept that there was more than one way to achieve what he wanted.

When the fog cleared, the horse was the first thing Kurt noticed. It was white, but not brilliant white; it was almost ghostly, translucent. Kurt kept expecting to see through it, but he never did. The effect was disturbing at best. The knight's armor had a similar look to it. It wasn't shiny or bright or dull or anything really. It was hard to look at directly, like the image wasn't quite right but Kurt couldn't explain why if he tried. This knight was smaller than the last one but certainly no less intimidating with a huge scythe gripped in its ghostly white glove. It also had a cloak rather than a helmet, but the cowl was so large and deep that nothing of the knight's face could be seen beneath it.

Finn and Blaine both shifted a little in Kurt's periphery and he thought they must be having a similar reaction to the knight's appearance. Together they closed ranks and waited silently for the knight to speak. One thing was right at the forefront of Kurt's mind as he waited and that was if there was ever a better interpretation of Death than this specter, Kurt had never seen it.

This knight did not speak to them as the others had. Instead, the knight lifted the deadly looking scythe and pointed to the undulating mist behind him. For a moment they just stood still, all of them waiting on something more. After a moment of waiting with no sound aside from the wind that seemed to have picked up during their absence, the three of them began to walk slowly toward the mist.

They exchanged glances and Blaine even nodded nervously as if he knew what Kurt must be thinking. Finn looked absolutely terrified and Kurt had to wonder if that's what he himself looked like right now. It was certainly how he felt. If death wasn't the fear he faced in the first challenge, what did that mean about what lay ahead?

Through the mist and out on the other side, for the first time since they started this whole thing, Kurt didn't recognize where they were. It appeared to be a living room. A fabulous living room, really. The decor combined carefully placed antique pieces with sleek modern pieces. Everything was dark gray and turquoise, with just a hint of pale yellow here and there. Kurt was spinning for a moment taking it all in and then he caught sight of Finn and Blaine standing there; they looked just as lost as he was. He shook his head at them– no, he didn't know where they were.

Across the room from where they stood, on the other side of the sitting area, the entire wall was covered by beautiful heavy drapes. The idea of windows and seeing what lay beyond them drew Kurt forward. He crossed the hardwood floors slowly until he was right there, his hand closing around the pale velvet of the curtains. He pulled it aside and peered out, recognition dawning on him immediately.

That was New York City out there! The apartment overlooked Central Park, to be exact. The sun appeared to be just rising over the city and it was so glorious it stole his breath momentarily.

"We're in New York City!" he told Finn and Blaine, but he realized a moment later they wouldn't have any idea what that meant, especially not what it meant to Kurt.

They joined him at the window, both making little noises of exclamation and appreciation.

"I've always wanted to live here. It's one of my biggest dreams," he told them.

"If it's your biggest dream, what about it could scare you?" Finn asked.

That was a good question, but there was another one that went with it. What did his biggest dream have to do with death? "We should probably look around and see," Kurt replied thoughtfully.

The three of them stayed together for the most part, drawn together to the bookshelves with pictures. There was a story there, and it was obviously Kurt's. There he was as a child with his mom. There was his dad at the shop. He and Rachel graduating high school in one and then college in the next. Blaine slid a book off the shelf carefully; The History of Vogue. Kurt found what must be Rachel's wedding photos and he was there too in a tux, standing in for her maid of honor. It made his heart feel tight. They were out of pictures though, out of shelves.

Kurt led them into the hallway where there were more photographs hanging on the wall in something of a timeline. Kurt's father as he grew older, Rachel's dads beside a piano, Rachel and her new baby. A much older Kurt holding a tiny little girl's hands while holding a bundle of newborn baby– Rachel's children, he guessed. Holidays together over the years and finally Rachel's children grown and starting families of their own. The other side of the hall held accomplishments, playbills, awards, pictures of the two of them on stage. It was as if all his dreams came true. Kurt couldn't figure out how any of this could be something he was afraid of.

They came to the first room off the hall and it appeared to be a guest room; simple and elegant, and just a touch of Rachel to it somehow. The next room held an office with a desk and sleek computer and shelves of sheet music and awards. Kurt's picture hung on one wall, a poster of him in his Broadway debut, though Kurt didn't recognize the title of the show. It didn't matter, he felt proud just looking at it.

The last room was the master bedroom. Like the living room, it was pale and perfectly adorned. Standing there, at the foot of the bed, admiring his future taste in linens, it hit him: this was the home of a single man. In fact, Kurt rushed back to the hall to double check, and sure enough, there was not one picture of him with another man, a boyfriend, a partner. Not one. All these accomplishments, all the awards, this beautiful New York City apartment, and Kurt didn't have anyone to share it with.

Blaine was the first to catch on that something was wrong. Finn was back in the kitchen asking about the refrigerator. Kurt couldn't hear what either of them was saying over the roar in his ears. Blaine helped ease him down on the floor of the bedroom where he'd ended up. He gently pushed the back of Kurt's neck until he lay his forehead against his knees which were drawn up in front of him. He felt like crying, but all he could do was gasp while Blaine tried to be soothing.

Finn joined them and he sat down on the floor with Kurt and patted his back a couple of times. He didn't say anything, but that worked out for Kurt, who was still trying to process this beautiful life he had apparently built alone. It was one of his greatest fears, that he would never find anyone to love and be loved in return. That he would live his life alone and unwanted. Even knowing that this was just a challenge and not necessarily the actual future didn't make it easier. Kurt didn't know how he was supposed to overcome this when it was so deeply unsettling him. How could he come to terms with this?

"Someone's here," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt picked his head up finally and they all sat silently listening to the sounds of someone entering the apartment. Rachel's voice! It was slightly different but he'd still recognize it anywhere, and there was a grown man with her.

"I wish you'd let me take care of this, Mama, it's so early-"

"Then you ought to help an old woman out of her jacket instead of going on about things that don't matter," Rachel told her companion.

Before Kurt could even process the idea of Rachel as an old woman they walked into the bedroom and though the three boys stiffened neither Rachel nor the younger man (who had to be her son, Kurt recognized him from the pictures) took any notice of them, but headed straight for the closet.

Kurt leaned out, looking after them into a huge walk-in closet. They were still talking quietly.

"If he weren't so stubborn he might have checked himself in months ago," the man said as Rachel began handing him pieces of clothing.

"Yes, well, Kurt has always been stubborn," Rachel answered with an almost sad sounding laugh.

It was disconcerting, all of this was, but hearing Rachel laugh while he was still trying to get himself under control was the most disconcerting part of all.

"Stubborn, but organized. Look," she said and Kurt saw her hand over a thin device of some kind, small like a phone but really thin. Her son tapped it a few times with his finger and smiled.

"Of course he would leave a list, as if I didn't know exactly what he'd want after all these years," Rachel said fondly.

They worked quietly for a few minutes, bringing items out to lie on the bed. Dark gray pants, a silver and blue shirt with an almost floral pattern. A matching blue scarf, and finally a dark gray jacket that almost matched the pants but not quite. It was lovely and intriguing and for a moment Kurt was lost looking at the fabric and the colors. Rachel brought him back out of his head quick enough.

She was double checking the items on the list and her son added sleek, black boots to the pile when she started to cry. Her hand flew to her mouth, but when her son tried to get her to sit she refused. "I just can't believe he's gone," she said between sobs.

That's when the tears finally came. Here in this place, Kurt was dead, and Rachel was the one picking up the clothes he was going to be buried in.

"This is why I didn't want you to come. I could have handled this," her son told her gently.

"I know, but it's Kurt," she said, as if that somehow explained everything. It must have though, because her son went about zipping the clothes into a garment bag.

"I do understand," he said softly. Rachel turned and wiped at her eyes.

"You take care of each other, you always have," he concluded. "You loved each other."

"Always," Rachel whispered. Her son gathered up the bag and reached for her hand which she took and squeezed. Then he bent to kiss her cheek and it hurt Kurt to see because it was so sweet and so caring. Rachel must have been an amazing mother, which really wasn't a surprise.

Kurt began calming down after that. They left but Kurt stayed where he was on the floor, quiet and thinking. Finn and Blaine let him be, not pushing him to talk just yet and he was glad. He needed time to process everything. One thing was becoming clear, though, and that was that there were worse fates than having a best friend to love you and stand by you your entire life. Someone who would always be there for you, right to the end.

Maybe that wasn't the love he'd always craved, sometimes obsessed over, but it was the kind of love that lasted for a lifetime.

Eventually Kurt pushed himself up off the floor. Maybe he wouldn't have the great romance he'd longed for, but he wouldn't have to die alone. He had a best friend who loved him and that was more than some people ever had.

As they walked quietly back out into the hall, the mist was waiting for them. It rolled toward them slowly and Kurt held his head high as it closed over them.

Four fears, his greatest fears; all met, all conquered. He wasn't finished by any means– he wasn't arrogant enough to think the worst was behind him just because he'd completed the challenges. He still had to beat the labyrinth, rescue Rachel, and get home somehow. Still, he felt different now. He felt more certain of himself, more certain than he'd felt in a long time. He felt ready even, to face whatever came next.

Then the fog cleared. Kurt couldn't say what he'd been expecting exactly. Maybe that they'd still be in that in between place, the Realm of the Four Knights, and that someone would tell them they were free. He thought there might be a chance that they'd be back on the cliff where Blaine had rescued him before they tumbled into the Realm. A small hopeful part of him thought perhaps they'd come out standing outside the Goblin City. This was none of those places.

They stood under the shade of a huge tree. The sky above them was only just darkening into evening and ahead of them there lay a river. It was a quiet river; Kurt thought he could barely see the movement of the water as it moved past. On the other side were more trees and a road that led away into the wood. They were sparse though, not at all like the forest he'd come through before. A bridge spanned the river. It was made all of stone and had torches set into the sides of it. It was large and sort of magnificent to look at. However, the most noticeable thing about it was the man standing in the middle of it, right on the end closest to them, watching them from only feet away.

The man was armed with a huge sword that was so tall Kurt thought it should be impossible to lift. It was resting tip down, hilt clasped between the knight's folded hands. His armor was dark brown and only protected his upper body, splitting at the waist and ending at the tops of his thighs. Below that were loose black pants and black leather boots. His dark hair was shorn into a line down the middle, which paired with his steady gaze gave him a pretty menacing look overall.

Kurt turned to Blaine and Finn, planning to gauge their reactions, see if they recognized this knight, but he turned back around when the knight spoke to him.

"Congratulations. You have successfully conquered the challenges set to you by the four Knights. If you hope to pass beyond their influence and back into the land of goblins safely you must answer one final question." He delivered all of these lines with a heavy sigh and no enthusiasm whatsoever. He almost sounded bored.

Kurt glanced at Finn and Blaine quickly. Finn shrugged a little. He'd not had any information about the Realm of the Four Knights, but Blaine had. Blaine shrugged his shoulders just a tiny bit. He didn't know what was going on here either.

"So if we give the correct answer, what happens exactly?" Kurt asked finally.

The knight looked a little surprised at the question. "I let you cross the bridge," he said.

"And if we give the wrong answer we're stuck here?" Kurt asked for clarification's sake.

"That's the gist of it, yeah." The knight narrowed his eyes just a little at Kurt and the others.

"So, what you're saying is, you're stopping us from leaving. Not some mystical barrier, just you." Kurt crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's right. I guard the bridge and I say who gets to pass, and you don't get to pass until you answer my question." The knight held up his sword just a little as though to bring attention to the fact that he was the only there who was armed.

Kurt pursed his lips in thought. Obviously they needed to cross the bridge as quickly as possible, they had to get back on track. He didn't know what time it was, but he'd felt like he'd been off facing his fears for hours. Even so, the sky now looked like it was earlier than it had been when he'd been thrown into the knights' realm.

"Alright," Kurt said slowly. He needed out of here and he had no idea what this knight might ask him, but he was going to have to take the chance he could answer it correctly.

"Wait," Finn said, stopping him.

"Why? We can't waste time right now," Kurt reminded him.

"No, I know, that's my point. He's just one guy, and there's three of us. Maybe we should skip the question and just leave," Finn said, softly but not soft enough that everyone else couldn't hear him. Kurt was surprised. Of course he'd been thinking something similar, but they may as well try, right? Rachel was waiting.

"I'm going to give it a try, Finn. he never said I only get one answer. We don't have to overreact yet," Kurt told him. Finn was still eyeing the knight a little warily and, he noticed, so was Blaine.

"It's okay," the knight said, surprising them all. "You're men are worried for you and I get that. Look, I don't know you or why you're here, but I'd like to. My name is Puck and it is my duty to guard this bridge, but it is not my wish to keep you here indefinitely."

Kurt didn't really know what to say to that. He started with the easiest thing he could think of. "My name is Kurt Hummel and my best friend in the whole world was taken by the Goblin King when I accidentally wished he would take her away. Now I have to defeat the labyrinth before time runs out and she's trapped here forever."

Puck nodded slowly, looking Kurt up and down, measuring him up maybe. "Kurt, you should let me ask my question. I think you'll know exactly how to answer it."

For a moment Kurt just tried to breathe, talking about Rachel out loud made his throat tighten painfully. Finally he nodded. "Okay," he said, "Ask your question." This time neither Finn nor Blain interrupted him.

Puck smiled and nodded. Then he spoke: "What is the greatest lesson you learned in the Realm of the Four Knights?"

Kurt's lips parted on an exhale. He hadn't considered that the question might be so subjective, or so personal. Still, he already had the answer. He'd thought about it each time he came out of a challenge. Kurt could feel the beginnings of a smile forming on his mouth.

"I learned that real courage isn't about not being afraid. It's about facing your fears and going on and doing whatever it is you want or need to do." Kurt felt a rush of joy as he gave his answer, and when two hands patted his back, he knew his friends realized what that really meant to him for himself and for his future.

Puck was grinning. He swung his sword up and slid it into the strap on his back. "You're free to pass," he told them and he stepped forward toward Kurt.

"I have just one more question," he said.

"Yes?" Kurt asked.

"Do you have room for an extra companion?" Puck grinned, his eyebrow raised.

Kurt tipped his head to the side, incredulous. "Yes, of course," he said.

"Good, because guarding this bridge was boring me to death," he laughed, and his laughter caused the rest of them to chuckle. "Anyway, rescuing the maiden fair from the clutches of the Goblin King? That's a quest I can really sink my teeth into."

He held out his hand toward the bridge and dipped in a little bow, offering to let Kurt go ahead of them. Kurt shot a glance at his other friends and then led the way across the bridge.

"Anyone know the way to the Goblin City from here?" he asked as they reached the other side.

"That way," his three companions said together and they pointed down the road that stretched ahead of them. Kurt grinned at them as they walked. Blaine answered his next question before he got a chance to ask.

"We're close now, maybe just thirty minutes away, and I think time has shifted back. It was dark before and now the sun is only just setting." Kurt felt relieved. They were close, he was going to make it, but what was with the time change? Not that he was about to complain.

"How did that happen?" he asked.

"A boon, from the knights," Puck answered. "They don't have people pass through often, and neither do I, which makes me think most people don't make it through."

"Well that was incredibly generous of them," Kurt said softly.

"Awesome," Finn agreed.

"You earned it, Kurt, you were amazing in there," Blaine said.

"Thanks," Kurt said softly.

They walked on in the quiet and the deepening dark until the trees gave way to ruins that crumbled on either side of the dirt road.

"The Old Goblin City," Finn said. He skipped ahead a little as though excited and Puck was right there with him, both chatting back and forth about this legend or that legend about the old city and how Sebastian had come into power as king. There was a story there, Kurt could tell, and he caught snippets of it as he caught up to them. Things like "No he was a sorcerer!" and "Lived alone all this time." Kurt wanted to hear more about that, but then Finn's stomach gave a rumbling growl that they all heard.

"Oh man, I'm famished," Finn said, rubbing at his stomach. Blaine snorted and smiled back at Kurt at Finn's unintentional pun.

"There'll be food in the city. I know a place," Puck said.

"We're rescuing Rachel first," Kurt reminded them, "But after that? Food sounds pretty good."

Puck and Finn were getting further ahead again, the prospect of food drawing them along the path faster. Blaine was ahead too but he turned and walked backwards a couple of steps. Then he stopped so Kurt could catch up to him. His expression was oddly guarded, but then he reached into his satchel and pulled out the prettiest giant peach Kurt had ever seen.

"Here," Blaine said softly, offering it to him.

"Wow, thanks," Kurt said, and he took the peach and rolled it between his hands. It was lovely and just ripe enough to be perfect. Kurt's stomach gave a rumble at the sight of it and he lifted it to his nose to smell.

Blaine turned and headed off again, and Kurt followed along slowly. The road wound through the ruins and he'd already lost sight of Puck and Finn. Kurt sped up a little, not wanting to lose sight of Blaine, and he lifted the peach to take a bite.

The fuzzy skin snapped and the sweet juices flooded Kurt's mouth as he bit down. As he chewed he stumbled a little on the path. He looked about and the ground rose up, twisting and turning until Kurt fell down.

"Wait!" he called but his voice was too weak. Kurt was panicking but the panic felt further and further away and the ground felt steadier now, comforting. He lay back against a low wall, slumping, unable to remember why he was reaching out or who he was hoping would be there.

The peach rolled from his other hand and Kurt's head lolled to the side. In the distance, light glinted off something in the air and caught his eye. He watched, breath coming slower, heart slowing to a crawl, all thoughts of fear completely erased. He felt good and warm and safe. Then... bubbles? It looked like bubbles floating toward him. As they got closer he could see that there were things inside them. An owl, a book, and something that made him reach out: a castle. The castle from his mother's globe, right there, inside the bubble.

Kurt reached toward it. He knew if he could just get it then he'd never be anything but happy. He practically held his breath, waiting for the bubble to reach him. Then it did, and Kurt sighed happily as his fingers closed around it. It wasn't a bubble at all, he thought, but more like a crystal ball and when he looked very closely he could see tiny dancing figures inside the castle windows.

Blaine only let himself walk a few minutes without looking back to check on Kurt. He shouldn't have walked ahead at all, but he'd been afraid that if he stayed right with Kurt he'd never let him bite into the peach. When he did look back, Kurt was nowhere to be found. Blaine raced back along the path calling out to Finn and Puck to come help.

He jogged all the way back past the last point he knew he'd seen Kurt, but there was no sign of him anywhere. They called his name, they split up and scoured the ruins, but Kurt was gone. Completely gone and none of them had any idea what might have happened to him. No one, that is, except Blaine.

He slumped down on the crumbling base of the ruins and buried his head in his hands. Finn and Puck tried to get him to speak, but it was several minutes before he could. When he did it was only to say, "I think I made a huge mistake."


	9. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: bespelled!Kurt, dubious consent, voyeurism. For a more detailed description of the dubcon see end of chapter notes. The song is [As The World Falls Down](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R10X3Db-fzk) by David Bowie.

Somewhere, far away, there was music playing. Kurt listened to it, tried to reach for it and follow it, but it was elusive, only sending up the faintest strain of melody before falling quiet. It did this several times before Kurt realized it was coming in waves and each time he heard it again it was a little louder. Louder and louder, but never blaring, until finally it was like a dull roar that evened itself out and he could hear the music steadily. It was a little like when the blood rushed in one's ear, the sounds of the world increasing with each heartbeat until everything settled and you could hear normally again. Kurt had no idea why his heart was beating so frantically.

Everything felt calm now. His heart beat slowed, rhythmically, and he realized he was standing in a long hallway. It was beautiful. Each wall was broken into panels of mirrors with gilded molding around the edges of them all. Each mirror was topped with what looked like little cherubs. Kurt stepped closer to get a better look at the angelic beings and then he caught sight of himself and stared.

His hair was all swept up high and back off his forehead, just shy of spiked. Over one ear, fixed in his hair, was an opal, larger than any he'd ever seen. Silver filaments spiraled out from the opal and then thinned out and disappeared into his hair. As if this headpiece weren't elaborate enough, all of his hair appeared to be dusted with a fine glitter so that as he turned his head left and right, his hair shimmered.

He also wore makeup. Not a lot, but enough that it created the appearance of a mask. It was a fine white shimmering dust, outlined in silver paint. His eyes were lined carefully in black kohl and the whole effect was fairly stunning. Kurt's eyes traveled down to his clothes next.

He was dressed all in snowy white. A long silk shirt fell to the tops of his thighs in the front but extended even longer in the back. Around his waist a short corset cinched him in, just tightly enough. The corset itself was covered in swirling patterns of tiny crystals that sparkled as he moved this way and that in the mirror. Tight white breeches hugged what he could see of his legs and finishing it all off were a tall pair of white boots that ended just below his knees.

In the distance the music swelled and caught his attention once more. Kurt reluctantly moved from the mirror and followed the music down the hall, coming to a staircase that would lead him down to its source.

Now, coming down the steps he was able to see a pair of open doors ahead, across a wide expanse of black marble flooring. The doors were guarded by men in black hooded robes with silver masks; skeleton masks. They made an intimidating pair, but Kurt wasn't afraid. Warm light splashed out onto the floor and the music was just there, coaxing Kurt down the last of the steps and toward the doors.

In the next room he could make out a huge chandelier hanging inside, and there were people there, just across the threshold. He joined them and quietly gasped when the rest of the ballroom came into view.

They were standing at the top of a wide staircase leading down into the ballroom. To say that it was huge might be an understatement. The two storied room was long and oval, with room for hundreds to dance in the middle, and what Kurt thought might be places to sit along the walls between columns. The lighting was low, glittering down over a sea of dancers from the enormous chandelier and from candelabras lining the room. The far end of the room held a raised platform where an orchestra sat.

Then there were the guests. This was a masquerade! The guests wore elaborate, glittering costumes and masks. Each time Kurt tried to focus on just one person or one dancing couple, another would catch his eye so that his gaze flitted along the tops of the dancers, catching every hue of the rainbow in satin and silk, feather and gemstone. It was mesmerizing to watch them all spinning and twirling below, but as Kurt watched he felt that sensation again, as if he was running late. It wasn't a bad feeling, more of an excited feeling now that Kurt had arrived.

Kurt headed down into the main part of the ballroom until he was surrounded by a section of the crowd at the edge of the dancefloor. Everyone glittered and shimmered around him under the warm candlelight.

The people huddled together, laughing softly, talking, but so that Kurt couldn't hear what they said because the music filled him up and drew him out; he was looking for something, or someone. He couldn't be sure, he only knew that was why he was here, and he was really happy to be here, finally.

People turned and stared from behind painted masks as he passed. Kurt even heard a soft gasp or two and turned to find wide eyes and soft blushes on powdered cheeks following him. Gloved fingers reached out and brushed along his arm and back as he pressed through them. Finally, Kurt broke through to the dancefloor closest to the steps. He could see the rest of the ballroom up closer now that he wasn't surrounded by yards of fabric and elaborate headdresses. What he saw left him wide eyed, his pulse picking up speed as his eyes traveled around the room again.

What he'd originally thought were places to sit between the massive marble columns were actually enclaves. From where Kurt stood he could see into a couple of them on either side of the room. Those nearest him were, of course, the ones he could see the best. The room closest to him was drenched in gold. The walls, the floor, and a circular bed in the middle. There were even painted men, naked except for the gold paint on their bodies. There were five men that Kurt could see, all together on the bed in various states of undress, and they were...

Kurt turned away, looking down, suddenly needing to catch his breath, but then he found he couldn't help but look back. They were all over each other! They were engaging in countless filthy positions and now that Kurt was really looking he could see that it wasn't just a group of couples; these men were all having sex with each other, meeting this way and that. Their bodies were twining together, hands grabbing, hips thrusting, it was unlike anything Kurt was prepared to see. It was breathtaking.

Kurt's eyes tore away again, but now they searched along the walls of the ballroom, wondering if they would all reveal similar scenes. He could feel his cheeks heating up and his heart was thudding quickly, almost out of control, but he wasn't afraid.

He still couldn't see into the other rooms that were farther away but he did notice something he'd missed before. Upon each column between the rooms there stood a painted person. Some were in gold and some in silver, and they were both men and women. Naked, unmoving for the most part, like living statues dotted along the walls. Kurt was trying not to stare too hard, and failing.

Eventually he turned the other direction, to the other room he could see across the way. That room was all black fabrics hanging from the walls and there was only one chair and no bed. A man, undressed to his breeches, was tied to the chair and blindfolded as a woman in dark colored clothes trailed her fingers over his skin, slowly, circling him. She had something in her hand, but Kurt couldn't see what it was from where he stood.

In the middle of all the staring and heart pounding realizations, Kurt was jostled from behind.

The woman, dressed almost like a confection in pale peach ruffles and pearls reached out to steady Kurt with her gloved fingers. "I'm so sorry!" she said, and she laughed and scolded her companions, probably the very ones that pushed her against him in the first place.

"It's alright, really," Kurt told her. Instead of letting him go, however, she stepped in a little closer.

"Can I make it up to you with a dance?" she asked. The lady batted long black eyelashes at him from behind her glittering mask.

"Actually I was just looking for someone," he said, hesitantly.

"It's just that you looked so, entranced just now. Maybe you'd like to take a closer look instead? I don't mind skipping the dance," she offered. She pursed her lips as though trying to figure him out.

Kurt shook his head, swallowing. He did want a closer look, but not with her. He smiled and the lady and her companions just winked and left him be. Kurt looked around, trying to put his mind back where it needed to be: he needed to keep looking. The music changed into something slower as Kurt began to press through the crowd at again. He was inching closer to the side and trying not to think about the fact that it would also give him the opportunity, if he so chose, to see the other side rooms as he went.

The dancers drew his attention for the time being. This dance was much more organized than the last. The guests all lined up into columns and couples came together between the lines and spun and twisted and switched to another partner before disappearing back into the column they started from. Kurt watched as the lines changed into twisting circles and found himself fascinated by the shifting of colored fabrics and the many different masks as the dancers twirled past him. By the time the music changed and the dancers spread back out, Kurt was closer to the next alcove and if he turned his head just right he'd be able to see into it. He just wasn't entirely certain he wanted to see. The prospect was making him a little nervous.

It's not that he was afraid of sex, but it was the idea that anyone would be so comfortable that they wouldn't mind doing that in front of others that set him on edge. Of course that was the same thing that made him take another step closer too. He wanted to see.

"It's okay to be curious." Kurt's thoughts were interrupted by a man's voice behind him.

He turned his head back and saw a man dressed all in green and gold, with a thin strip of gold lace as a mask across his eyes. His blond curls tumbled down his back and he was smiling softly.

"What?" Kurt asked. Not because he'd missed what the man said the first time but because he was being distracted just a little by the man's proximity.

"I said it's okay to be curious. The people in those rooms..." The man put his hand on Kurt's shoulder and directed him to turn as he pointed discreetly and leaned in close so he spoke into Kurt's ear, "They want you to look. They want to put on a show for you. None of them would do it if they didn't want beautiful men like you to watch."

Kurt was watching now. This room was larger than the others he'd seen. Inside there was a table covered in food and drink. Soft candlelight illuminated and bounced off the mirrored walls where six men and women stood, their arms bound at the wrists and suspended from the ceiling. They were all trapped.

His eyes were drawn to the middle where a young man writhed in his bonds, his head falling back against the mirror behind him as he was pleasured by another man, down on his knees in front of him. He looked so lost to the sensation that Kurt's stomach twisted with an echo of that pleasure. He could imagine what that felt like. All tight and wet and hot, but he'd never imagined what it would be like to have an audience to the act. It was sort of thrilling, really. The man on his knees appeared to be enjoying it just as much. He shifted on the ground and Kurt could see his fingers flexing across the other man's thighs. All of it made Kurt feel overdressed and just a little too warm in the nicest way. When he turned at last to find the man in green, he was already gone.

Losing the stranger wasn't too disappointing. Kurt was already forgetting what he'd looked like. Somewhere there was someone here waiting for him already; he just needed to keep looking. Staying on track was proving a little difficult, especially now that he was curious to see what secrets the other rooms held. There were many mysteries to be solved and Kurt's mind, hazy as it was, could only focus on so much at once. He managed to work his way around to the middle of the room as he searched through the sea of masks and costumes, not knowing exactly what he was looking for.

When the music changed again, Kurt was back on the edge of the dance floor, searching, looking out as far out as he could see. Then it happened. So quick that at first Kurt couldn't be sure. Then, when the crowd parted, he saw a man all in black with shiny black skull mask. His heart sped up and he tried to find the man again. Height was definitely an advantage here and Kurt lifted up on his toes trying to see over the heads of everyone. He was there again! Dancing with a woman dressed all in rosy pink, but it almost looked like he'd seen Kurt for a moment as he twisted his partner across the floor. Kurt needed to get out there if he had any hope of catching up to the man with the skull mask.

A tap on his shoulder had Kurt turning around to face a man in a shimmering deep blue waistcoat with a peacock mask. Peacock feathers stood up around the back of his collar framing his face. The whole sight might have been a little ridiculous except that it was done tastefully enough that Kurt liked it immediately. The man's mask was the sort held on a stick and he moved it away as he spoke.

"You probably don't recognize me, but I recognized you. Jesse St. James," he said, smiling. "We were never properly introduced."

Jesse St. James. His face was so familiar, and his name, but Kurt couldn't quite place him. It was almost like remembering something from a dream, like déjà vu. Images of a man in white with a tall white wig and some sort of game. Or was it a sport? He held out his hand to shake as he introduced himself, but Jesse lifted it to his lips and grazed Kurt's knuckle with a kiss instead.

"Shall we dance?" Jesse asked, now holding out his hand for Kurt to take. Kurt hadn't forgotten that he wanted to dance so he could get closer to the man in the skull mask, so he accepted the offer and let Jesse lead him out onto the floor.

Kurt didn't mind letting Jesse lead, especially considering that he didn't know the steps, and soon enough they were gliding along with everyone else. Kurt's eyes flitted through the crowd as they weaved in and out along with the other couples. He would get a glimpse here and there and think he was getting closer only to see the man in the skull mask farther away than he'd thought. It was frustrating and thrilling all at once. Between the flurries of gowns and masks Kurt began catching glimpses of a smile, smirking, playfully teasing.

Jesse pulled Kurt closer as the music slowed and changed to a new song, but Kurt couldn't help that feeling, the need to find the other man. He smiled apologetically at Jesse before slipping out of his arms and into the crowd of other dancers.

With the dancers slowing, Kurt found it more and more difficult to move through them. Some of them reached out, pawing at him flirtatiously, but Kurt had to keep searching. It was a little like chasing a shadow, one that slipped in and out of his vision, always just ahead of him, never stopping to wait for him. Then the crowd parted at just the right time and he was there, only a few feet away. When the man moved his mask, Kurt knew him right away. Sebastian. Kurt's heart beat erratically as the lyrics wrapped around Kurt, but he was so focused on Sebastian that he only barely heard them.

_There's such a sad love  
Deep in your eyes.  
A kind of pale jewel  
Open and closed  
Within your eyes.  
I'll place the sky  
Within your eyes._

They stood gazing at one another, neither able to move, and Kurt wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth to speak nothing came out. Sebastian was stunning, he was always stunning, Kurt thought, and then he was gliding gracefully toward Kurt, pulling him into his arms and into a dance.

_There's such a fooled heart  
Beatin' so fast  
In search of new dreams.  
A love that will last  
Within your heart.  
I'll place the moon  
Within your heart._

_As the pain sweeps through,  
Makes no sense for you.  
Every thrill is gone.  
Wasn't too much fun at all,  
But I'll be there for you.  
As the world falls down._

Sebastian began to sing along toward the end, his green eyes sparkling and warm. His fingers tightened around Kurt, leaving him feeling breathless and tingly all over. He felt wanted, desired, and maybe even needed, and Kurt knew, he wanted Sebastian too.

As the song came to an end, they slowed to a stop and stood in each others' arms, ignoring the dancing that carried on around them. Kurt felt almost overwhelmed looking into Sebastian's eyes. He reached up, his fingers trailing over Sebastian's collar and into his hair as Kurt pulled him close, to kiss him finally, and as his eyes slipped shut he felt giddy with anticipation.

Sebastian pulled back instead. Kurt's eyes flew open in surprise and a little hurt, but Sebastian just ran his hand up to cup Kurt's cheek gently as he smiled and Kurt knew it was okay. They had time, didn't they? He let himself be swept along into another dance, swept away from any hurt at all or any hesitation. The night belonged to them and Kurt was having the time of his life.

Eventually Kurt did need a break. His feet were a little sore and he was thirsty. Thankfully Sebastian anticipated his needs before he could voice them. "Let's find something to drink, shall we?" Sebastian asked as he whirled them right to the edge of the dance floor and then they were stepping off. Kurt tucked his arm into Sebastian's and nodded, grateful.

Sebastian led him toward one of the alcoves along the side and though Kurt knew there was nowhere else really to sit, he felt his cheeks flush with warmth at the thought of what he'd seen in those rooms. His stomach clenched in desire as he imagined he and Sebastian in any number of compromising positions. Kurt knew that wasn't what they were doing right now, but the want was there, all the same as Sebastian led them along, his side pressed tight to Kurt's.

The little room they ended up in was furnished with a small chaise and a table on which sat hors d'oeuvres and two crystal glasses filled with a glowing gold liquid. Kurt sat down while Sebastian retrieved the glasses for them and then he sat so their knees were the only thing that touched. The drink turned out to be juice of some sort. It was cold and lightly sweet and exactly what Kurt wanted after all the dancing they'd done.

Sebastian drank his as well and then set their glasses aside and reached for Kurt's hands. "You look amazing, Kurt. I didn't think it was possible, but you're more beautiful tonight than I've ever seen you before. You're stunning," he said softly.

Kurt wasn't sure about before. Before made his head hurt still so he didn't think about it. Instead he just let Sebastian's compliments warm him from the inside out. He ran his thumb over the back of Sebastian's hand, flushing from the attention.

"Are you having a good time?" Sebastian asked, a darkness creeping into his gaze that Kurt didn't understand.

"I'm having a fantastic time," Kurt told him honestly. "Tonight, everything is perfect."

"I'm glad you think so. I wanted to give you this. I wanted to see you smiling," Sebastian said.

Sebastian still didn't look as confident as Kurt thought he should so he shifted closer until he could lean in and slowly kiss the corner of Sebastian's mouth. Sebastian didn't pull away this time so Kurt shifted closer and pressed his lips to Sebastian's, kissing him and pouring everything he felt, everything he ached for, into the kiss.

They wrapped around each other until they were holding each other as tightly as possible on the little chaise. Kurt didn't hesitate any longer as he ran his tongue along Sebastian's lower lip, nibbling gently, seeking more until Sebastian met him halfway and their tongues danced along together, slowly at first.

Kurt sighed at the sensation. Kissing Sebastian was everything he'd hoped it would be. Everything was pounding hearts and fire and an answer to the need Kurt felt inside. Despite the cloudiness in his mind, Kurt felt powerful here, like this. He felt in control, finally ready to act on a haze of lust that had been filling his mind for months, maybe years.

Sebastian deepened the kiss, licking his tongue into Kurt's mouth and moving to cup Kurt's face in his hands. Kurt whimpered into Sebastian's mouth, shifting until he could crawl up into Sebastian's lap and wrap his arms around Sebastian's neck.

This tore a moan from Sebastian and Kurt thought it was the best thing he'd ever heard. he wanted more of that too so he took control of the kiss, his fingers tangling into Sebastian's hair so he could hold him in place as he explored Sebastian's mouth and tried to find what turned him on the most.

He pulled away from Sebastian's mouth to trail kisses along his jaw and earlobe while his hands began working to undo Sebastian's glittering black jacket.

"Wait," Sebastian said, pushing at him gently. Kurt was too overcome though, and he didn't want to wait. He wasn't afraid anymore, didn't Sebastian know that?

"No, Kurt, please. We can't." Sebastian shoved a little more forcibly this time so that Kurt was forced to sit up and look down into Sebastian's eyes.

Kurt's whole body was thrumming now with need and Sebastian was rejecting him. It hurt deep down inside him, causing him to struggle just to breathe.

Before Sebastian could say anything else Kurt slipped from his lap and stood, walking to the outer edge of the room, trying to catch his breath and get a hold of himself. He was embarrassed too, that was the feeling riding high over the hurt. He'd read everything wrong. Kurt felt Sebastian's hand close over his shoulder but he was hesitant to look at him.

"Please Kurt, don't turn away, not now. Let me explain," he said, his voice tight enough with emotion that Kurt had to turn around.

Kurt was just about to ask Sebastian why he was pushing him away when a voice cut through his thoughts, singing a song that tugged at him in a completely unexpected way. He turned to find the singer, and was blown away by what he saw.

Up on the dais, the young woman stood in a silver strapless gown that hugged her silhouette to her knees where it fell in loose curtains of sheer fabric all the way to her feet. Her brown hair was parted on the side and tumbled over her shoulder in soft waves. She was alive with the music she sang and even though Kurt didn't recognize the song, her voice reached in and wrapped itself around his heart and began to squeeze.

Sebastian tugged at Kurt's arm and when Kurt turned he could see the concern all over Sebastian's face but he couldn't be pulled away from the singer, not now. It was easy to see, Sebastian wanted his attention, wanted to draw Kurt back in, but Kurt's mind was tripping forward, toward the young woman, toward the singing. Then Kurt stepped out of the room altogether, drawn out by the voice that made him want to weep. All Kurt could feel right now was confusion. He was vaguely aware of Sebastian there at his elbow, but he was remembering something and he had to work on figuring it out. Why did the young woman have such a hold on him?

Her name came to his mind slowly, as though it were fighting past some sort of blockage that Kurt didn't understand. Rachel. His Rachel. After that, other details came into focus in rapid fire succession. He remembered who Rachel was and he remembered where they were. Not as clearly as he'd like, though. All of the details were still a little confusing, but he remembered that he was trying to rescue her from Sebastian about the same time her song finished and she was escorted off the little stage by several guards.

"Rachel!" Kurt screamed, but Rachel was so far away she didn't hear him as the guards walked with her out the far exit.

Kurt wanted to rush after her – he was here, he'd made it to the castle – but his scream had drawn the attention of the crowd and they were watching him expectantly, pressing to get closer. So he turned on Sebastian, furious for everything. For taking Rachel in the first place, for forcing him to beat the labyrinth in order to get her back, for mocking him at every turn, and finally for making him forget all of that and tricking him into being here.

"You're sick, you know that? Really sick. Did you think you could keep me here forever too? Why are you doing this to me?" Kurt rushed forward, pounding his fists against Sebastian's chest.

"No, I-" Sebastian started but Kurt realized he didn't even want to hear excuses. They'd kissed! Oh god. He'd wanted to do so much more than just kiss.

"You drugged me or put me under a spell, you made me feel things!" Kurt was yelling and he wasn't even thinking about the spectators gathering closer. Sebastian just let him rail and didn't even try to stop his hands.

"I'm here now, I defeated your labyrinth and I made it to the castle so that means I get Rachel back. I'm taking her home! You give her to me right now!" Kurt was holding tightly to the lapels of Sebastian's jacket, trying to shake him.

"I can't do that, Kurt, because you aren't really here and neither am I" Sebastian said, his face so earnest and open it hurt to look at. "It's more of a dream. Our dream." Kurt wanted to demand more of an explanation but they were interrupted.

"Release him at once!" a voice came from behind. When Kurt turned he realized he was seeing the woman in pink that Sebastian had danced with earlier. Her mask was gone now and he recognized the princess, Quinn.

Panicked, Kurt let go of Sebastian's jacket, but he didn't have anywhere to run. The crowd was thick all around and everyone looked like they were only moments away from tearing him to shreds for attacking their king.

"Kurt," Sebastian implored quietly from behind him and Kurt turned to look at him. His eyes were full of a sadness unlike anything Kurt had ever seen. He didn't understand it, but he didn't really want to either. Everything was a mess inside his head. It was all a jumbled pile of anger and betrayal and not knowing how to get away from Sebastian or how to rescue Rachel.

He hadn't noticed it before but there was a clock hanging at the rear of the ballroom. It had thirteen hours on it and it was nearing the twelfth hour. Kurt was running out of time and fast. If he wasn't at the castle then where the hell was he? Staring back at the clock allowed him to notice something else too. The wall at the back was bowing. It had a distinct curve to it that he hadn't noticed before.

Ignoring the princess, the crowd, and most of all Sebastian, Kurt walked to the wall, examining the surface of it. It was transparent. How had he not noticed it before? He gasped when it hit him all at once. He was inside one of those crystal balls the king had!

"Kurt don't do this, we need to talk! It doesn't have to be like this!" Sebastian called out from behind him, but Kurt was too busy looking for something to hit the wall with. He picked up the pitcher of juice and began slamming it into the wall. It only took a couple of really good hits before the wall broke into a million tiny glass pieces and rained down all around him causing him to cover his face with his hands in an attempt to protect himself from the shards.

In that moment, Kurt could feel his feet lifting off the ground. He caught the wild glances of the people behind him and the despairing look in Sebastian's eyes as he reached for Kurt. Gravity no longer existed in this place: everything and everyone seemed to fly away and Kurt was falling. Around him bits and bobs from the ball fell with him until he was slipping through the dark alone. He landed with a thump in a cloud of glitter.

When he looked around he had no idea where he was or even really how he got there. His head throbbed as he tried to think, and when nothing came except more throbbing pain, he had to stop trying. That stopped the pain in his head but for some reason it didn't help the hurt he felt in his chest. It felt like something important was missing, though Kurt couldn't put his finger on what.

Kurt was sitting on the ground, his back to a stone wall. When he climbed to his feet and dusted off his jeans and shirt he noticed that he was just on the edge of a road leading under an arch to his right. As he watched, a woman came into view on the road, carrying a lamp at the end of a hook. When she came even with Kurt she smirked down at him.

"Are you coming or going, boy?" she asked curtly.

"Coming," he said, a little uncertain. He remained a little dizzy and disoriented, unsure how he'd arrived here and where the last hour or so had gone. He stretched – his legs especially were a little sore – he rubbed at his eyes. It felt like he'd been asleep, but he couldn't be sure.

"Good, then get off the ground before someone thinks you're a drunkard and has you hauled off to jail or worse. You look like a fool lolling there like that." She held out her hand to him and Kurt took it, grateful to have someone to go with, even someone that scowled at him.

Together they walked slowly under the archway and Kurt gaped a little when he saw what was on the other side.

"Never been to the Goblin Market before? You need to lose the wide-eyed blushing bride look or you'll get taken advantage of." His guide sounded almost disdainful of him.

Kurt just nodded and tried to straighten himself up. He was standing in the road staring ahead at all the twinkling lights and bustling crowds that weaved in and out of the open air market.

"Well, hurry up then, time waits for no man... or bashful little boy!" The woman waved him forward until he was moving again. Together they marched into the teeming crowds of the market.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dubious consent in this chapter refers to the fact that Kurt is under a spell which is loosens his inhibitions, but it does not take away his full mental capacity. Acts performed under dubcon do not include violence or sex, but are relegated to the realm of kissing and a desire for more.


	10. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Continuation of bespelled!Kurt, dark themes. 
> 
> My dear friend Anna contributed many of the vendors and item ideas for this market. She also discussed the nature of the Goblin Market, both in my story, and in common lore with me until I could feel it around me, see it, smell it.

It was the smells, Kurt thought; the smells in this place are why he would have never wanted to leave. Walking in, he thought for sure it was the lanterns. They were strung up above the market, crisscrossing over the main path and in between the vendors. Softly glowing, multicolored, winking above him in the breeze, illuminating the market from the surrounding darkness. The lanterns are enchanting, but it's the smells Kurt would stay for.

At first he thought it was something like baking bread or maybe cookies. Definitely cookies, his brain supplied, and Kurt wondered if there was a baker somewhere. He stopped, his eyes slipping closed as he inhaled, trying to place the scent. It wasn't cookies. It was familiar though, and comforting; something sweet and happy. Something mouth watering. It was like cotton candy; the scent of fresh cotton candy being made right in front of your eyes. It made him lick his lips in anticipation. When he peered out again, his guide was staring at him, some paces away, her eyebrows drawn together in what was almost disgust.

"If you can't handle the smell of the market, how will you shop? You'll still be standing there when everyone else packs up to go home and trust me on this, you do not want that," she told him seriously. "Get your rear in gear, mister, or get left on the road like steaming fewmets. And get rid of that rotten thing in your hand too."

Kurt looked down at the rotten peach in his hand. He didn't know why he was holding it, but he dropped it right away and a sickly green worm crawled out of it. He shuddered and hurried to catch up to the woman.. "I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry, Coach," she said firmly.

"I'm sorry, Coach?" he asked, confused.

"I'll be guiding you, coaching you, if you will, through the market. So call me Coach," she informed him.

Kurt nodded, obediently. He was sleepy and still had no idea why he'd been passed out on the side of the road, but it made sense to follow the coach in. How could he not? One look at the place and he was pretty sure he'd been heading there all along.

"Good. Now then, I'm sure there's plenty here you'd like." The coach led him to one of the first stalls.

A pale-skinned ageless woman with long white hair and a white robe sat perched on a stool next to her cart, smiling at Kurt as he approached. Her wares looked a little like garage sale leftovers to Kurt, but Coach was avidly looking over all of them. Kurt followed her gaze, trying to find the appeal. It didn't take him too long to see past the mismatched ladies' shoes and cheap looking trinkets. There was a little bundle of parchment paper tied with a green ribbon, a set of raw silk scarves in creams and grays, and a tray of rings with a little warning sign on them that somehow made them all the more appealing. Particularly the shining silver one with the foreign looking writing around the band.

"Something has grabbed your curiosity." The woman leaned forward and pointed. "Many a happy customer has gone off with one of my magic rings," she said softly. Kurt's eyes grew wide at the word "magic."

"Go ahead, try one on," she offered, lifting the tray for him.

"I can't, I don't have any money," Kurt sighed softly, finding it difficult to turn away. Coach followed right behind him as he left.

"No one's going to take you seriously if you say you don't have any money, Porcelain," she said. Then she pointed at his waist and Kurt looked down, surprised to see a little drawstring leather pouch attached to his belt. He slipped the knot quickly and peered inside, where he could see it was filled with shiny gold coins. How did that get there?he wondered.

"I must have forgotten," he said, softly.

"Besides," she added, "not everything for sale here can be paid for in gold." Coach jerked her chin at him without further explanation, ready to move on.

Kurt turned to follow her down the main path. Now that they were further inside the market, he could see that the buildings on either side of the stone path were stores too, and yes, some of them sold food. Their windows were set to display some of the most mouthwatering delicacies Kurt had ever seen. Delicate pastries with cream, pies with intricately woven crusts, and cakes in flavors he'd never heard of like kerrberry and drolamint. The other vendors had rows of glassware on display or weapons lined up proudly. Signs bearing foreign words like _Degnoming_ and _Werecasting_ made Kurt curious, but Coach passed them by.

She was stopped just ahead of him at a booth with a green wooden snake twined around one of the poles. _Reminisce_ , the sign read. She wriggled her fingers at him impatiently, so Kurt joined her, looking down at row after row of little glass vials of every shape, size, and color. Some hung from necklaces; some tiny ones sat on rings. Other larger ones were heaped in baskets together. All were softly glowing, shimmering in the dark.

"What are they?" he asked, addressing no one in particular. There were a couple of other shoppers there too, but it was the bearded man behind the booth that answered.

"They're memories," he said.

Kurt looked up, intrigued.

"Have you ever been in love?" the man asked.

The question threw Kurt for a moment and the man laughed heartily. "Whether you have or not, this bottle contains the memory of love. You could experience it, either again or for the first time. It wears off after an hour. Some of the other memories are longer lived, but this love is intense so it has a shorter life."

He passed the bottle to Kurt, who turned it over in his palm a couple of times, considering. The bottle was pretty enough and oddly heavy for its size. It also felt a tiny bit warm against his palm, but it didn't feel right for some reason. "I don't think this one's for me," he admitted and then placed it back on the counter. There were others that might hold more appeal though, he thought.

The next bottle Kurt picked up was pale blue, and it had a sea shell carved on the front of it. Then he touched a green one with a leaf, a yellow one with a star, and a purple one whose symbol he didn't recognize, but it was swirled around the bottle all the way up to the cork. Each time he came close to asking about one, something else caught his eye. Eventually though, he found he wasn't as interested in the memories as he thought he might be. Bottled experiences didn't matter compared to the myriad of booths and shops he'd yet to see.

Only a few paces away, a tall tree grew out of the ground in the middle of the path. There were several little tables under it, with lights floating down from the branches. Kurt's eye wasn't caught by the tree, however. It was caught by the cloaked figure beneath it. The man – or woman really, Kurt couldn't be sure – leaned one shoulder against the trunk. One of the figure's hands was wrapped around the hilt of a sword that could just barely be seen. It looked for all the world as though they were casually watching Kurt, though their face couldn't quite be seen in the shadow of the hood. When Kurt turned to see if Coach had noticed she was pointing elsewhere. His eyes followed her finger across the street.

A little round goblin with a blue vest was smiling at Kurt as well as the other shoppers, but he had Kurt's attention now and was waving him over. Together Kurt and Coach made the trek across the path. The shadow below the tree was easily forgotten.

This was a blue striped tent, with musical instruments hanging outside it. Kurt passed under the flap into the warmly lit interior. All around him, instruments were piled in heaps. There were horns and flutes and drums and all sorts that he couldn't recognize at all. A lady goblin peered at him from atop her cushion at the back, smoking her long gnarled pipe and watching him as he looked around. Coach hadn't entered the tent but he could hear her back outside talking animatedly with the goblin that had waved them over.

Kurt picked his way carefully around the piles of instruments inside. He couldn't play an instrument, he didn't think, and it was a strange moment to realize that he wasn't sure if he could play one or not. He tried to think about it, to stare hard at a little golden flute as if it would jog his memory, but that only made his head hurt. However, the strangeness passed as suddenly as it came when his guide called to him from outside the tent.

"I could have told you not to waste your time in there," she chided. Kurt just shrugged. Hadn't she pointed him in that direction to begin with? He didn't mind wasting his time. He felt like he had an eternity to waste – why not do it there or anywhere else he liked?

Coach led Kurt into a bright green tent just a few paces away. It was bright and cheery inside and the scent of pine seemed to surround Kurt as he stepped forward, drawn to one of the many rickety looking tables. This table housed a collection of tiny silver and gold boxes. _Worry Boxes_ , the little placard explained. Kurt ran his hand over one jewel-encrusted lid before moving on. He didn't have any worries, so why would he need a worry box?

He browsed further into the tent, shifting among a couple of others until he reached a longer table toward the back. This held a variety of objects all with little round tags attached. _A Ray of Hope, A Pocket of Sunshine, A Wishing Star, A Moment of Her Time_. Kurt read each in turn, his interest piqued. There was a bag of wisdom teeth that made him shudder slightly but he moved quickly on to discover _A Spark of Talent, Peace of Mind_ , and even _Lost Marbles_.

His hand reached to weigh the bag of coins at his belt longingly. Each item here was more enchanting than the last and he wondered what else could be found. Kurt slipped away and perused the shelves along the side of the tent. These too displayed all manner of items: bottles and boxes, bags and urns. There was a mirror that didn't show Kurt's reflection, but seemed to look into someone's bedroom. A clock with three hands stuck on midnight. A gold feather labeled _Isis_. The items got stranger as he went.

He crossed to the other side – curiosity kept him moving, always wondering what else there might be. Coach stepped in with a couple of items she thought might impress him but he waved her away, searching on his own.

He found one decanter labeled _Vampire Blood_. Another, _An Infant's First Cry_. There were stones that promised everything from _An Enchanted Evening_ to _Your Worst Nightmare_. Kurt shivered at the thought of that one. Finally he'd made his way around the entire tent and still he wasn't sure enough to make a purchase. He told Coach he didn't think they had what he was looking for. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Coach looked briefly exasperated.

The next shop they visited was only under a canopy of leaves, with four tree trunks for pillars at the corners. The vendor looked about nine or ten years of age and she had a spill of long black hair over her shoulder, which kept getting in her way as she worked to polish a quiver of bright red arrows. She did flash a smile at Kurt as he came in, but other than that left him alone. A gentle breeze swept in and ruffled through Kurt's own hair as he approached the first table.

Here sat a collection of miniature statues: fairies, goblins, elves, even petite angels. Each was poised under a glass dome. Kurt leaned closer to get a look at one of the fairies and the figurine turned and stuck its tongue out at him. Kurt jumped back and the girl behind the counter giggled behind her hand. Kurt shot her an embarrassed grin but he didn't need to know more about the little mischievous figures, he thought, so he turned quietly to the other side where several small cages took up the only other table.

There he found little white mice, a hamster, a huge black rat, and a yellow snake that curled around a stick. At the end of the table a bright red cardinal perched in its cage, watching Kurt and tilting its head from side to side. Kurt wasn't shopping for a pet though, so he let his feet carry him away from the stall.

With the lanterns bobbing overhead and the smells of the market making him feel warm and relaxed, Kurt was content just to follow the crowd now as he meandered along the path. Coach scowled sideways at him every now and then but didn't voice any real complaints as the two of them walked along in silence for some time.

They passed a slender, haunted-looking goblin selling a clock made of bone with thirteen hours on its face. The price was low, he assured one woman as Kurt passed, but when she asked what happened in the thirteenth hour, the goblin refused to answer. The woman moved on.

There was a wizened goblin woman with a stable of fey horses for sale. Kurt didn't know much about horses but these were surely the most incredible ones he'd ever seen. All of them were huge, with broad shoulders and long legs that ended at hooves, hooves that were easily the size of dinner plates. Most of them were black but there was one gray and one white, and their manes were curly, as were their tails. As he was lost staring into large, seemingly intelligent black eyes, Kurt realized that he was holding his breath.

He had to get a closer look. The woman explained to him that they were as beautiful as the moon, swift as the wind, loyal as the fiercest lion, and intelligent as the sea. Another shopper caught the look of rapture on Kurt's face and quickly tugged him away, explaining that if he tried to take them out of the market they would only dissolve into a pile of horse bones. Useless things, he told Kurt. Lovely, but useless.

"Thanks," Kurt said.

The man passed Kurt a card with a smile. Sandy Ryerson, it read. Horses, Dolltrade, and Herbal Relaxation. Kurt wasn't sure about all of that or how any of it could possibly be related, but he shook Sandy's hand anyway and thanked him again.

After that, Kurt found a smith. A big, burly man that would have intimidated Kurt if it weren't for the huge hat perched on his head, which held so many feathers stuck in it that the shape was completely lost. His sign said he would repair any weapon and that his forge was powered by dragon fire; very effective. Intrigue got the best of Kurt and he stepped closer to see. The man pointed at the fire pit, which on closer inspection was more like a well. The smith then leaned over it and whistled shrilly. He was rewarded with a blast of fire from below.

"You have to feed 'em though. Then we work on your weapon," the smith told Kurt. "They have a taste for lilies and bullfrogs right now," he added. Kurt didn't have a weapon so he bade farewell to the smith, who leaned into the fire pit and managed to make his whistle sound mournful.

He passed a goblin child selling the petals of next year's flowers in sacks, perfume-sweet and slowly wilting. A hunchbacked old woman sold tears and laments by the bottle and she swore to Kurt they gave savor to life much as salt gives savor to food. A wily, slender young man sold snake oil in bottles. When poured out, the oil shuddered, rippled, and shaped itself into a serpent, translucent and glabrous.

Kurt wandered in and out of shops, coming across things he never could have imagined would be for sale. Questions, answers, air from your lungs. Every ingredient needed to cure lycanthropy, potions for sleeping as well as for waking, balloons filled with perfect fantastic dreams. Kurt's head practically swam with it all, but he didn't feel compelled to buy any of it, as enthralling as some of it was.

"You like books, don't you? You read, isn't that true?" Coach asked eventually.

"Sure," he nodded.

"Good, we're going in here," Coach opened the door to one of the stone walled shops and pushed her way in – not waiting for Kurt, only expecting him to follow.

Inside, the books filled the shelves to overflowing, from floor to ceiling, stack after stack. The shelves themselves buckled in many places under the weight of so many volumes and Kurt was speechless with awe.

Coach made a noise of approval at Kurt's reaction. He was already stepping up to the wall of shelves in front of himself to get a better look. This shop was busy, unlike the other places Kurt had been so far. He had to wait for an opening to get close to the books. They were old leather-bound tomes in various sizes, with gold lettering down their spines.

Titles like _Omenns and How to Reade Them, The Curiosity of Ages_ , and _Maps of Middle Earth_ jumped out at him. He picked up one book, titled _Nobility's Line_ , and flipped it open to find picture after picture of goblin nobility. It was interesting, but not quite what Kurt thought he wanted. He moved further into the shop, weaving in and out between other patrons as they filled their baskets with their choices. In a case of its own there sat a large book with a symbol that was two snakes twined around one another, each with the other's tail in its mouth. It didn't have a title so Kurt passed it by with a shiver.

He found books about history, about eras and heroes he'd never heard of, and books about nature and the world in general. All of them contained images and stories he had no point of reference for. Coach caught up to him in the back and wordlessly handed him a book on mythological creatures. Kurt took it in his hands, his fingers running over the lettering.

"You were looking for this one, right?" she asked. Her eyes held a knowing gleam.

"I think so," Kurt replied softly. It did seem familiar suddenly. When his hands closed over it, the book felt right, but Kurt couldn't explain why to himself. In his mind's eye he saw an image of the book on a bed, on a familiar bookshelf, on a woman's lap as her hand turned the pages. He didn't know what he was seeing but the moment passed and he held the book closer to his chest.

At the checkout counter, the goblin lady peered up at him with her spectacles askew and asked him to hold out his wrist, please. Kurt looked back around at Coach, uncertain.

"Some stores don't take gold," she explained. "All books in the goblin market cost heartbeats. This one costs two." The goblin clerk nodded and held out her hand once more. After looking down at the book again, Kurt held out his wrist. Wrinkled green fingers closed over his wrist and Kurt felt a tingle right before she let go. His heartbeats leaving, never to return, he assumed.

"Come again!" she called as they left the bookstore behind.

Kurt was next waylaid by a sand shop – it was run by a retired sandman, as the sign said beside the door. He pushed the rickety wooden door inward, and found himself in the strangest shop he'd seen yet. Here were the _Sands of Time_ , in shades of blue and gold. There were sands in basins and sands in crazy shaped bottles that were twisted this way and that. There was sleeping sand of course, with a little plaque hanging on the wall next to it declaring it a bestseller.

Then there were sands from deserts around the world, from places Kurt had heard of and from many more places he hadn't. Sand from the ocean floor, sand from a child's sandal, sands of every color everywhere he looked. He didn't want to buy any of it, though. The sandman was disappointed, but he waved Kurt off with a fond farewell after making him promise to come back another night.

The next vendor he saw sold stuffed animals. One in particular caught his eye right away: a snowy white owl with large glossy eyes.

"Only a tenpiece," the boy behind the cart told him.

"Do I have one of those?" Kurt asked Coach as he pulled at the drawstring of his purse. He tipped a few coins into his hand and Coach leaned in to point at one of the smaller coins. Kurt passed this to the goblin boy who then passed him the owl. It felt good in his hands, and it sent a little buzz of joy right through him. He smiled at the boy before turning to leave.

"You should get a pack to put those in," Coach told him. "You keep shopping like this you'll run out of hands faster than a one-handed bog snipe.

Kurt didn't know what a one-handed bog snipe might be, but he knew she was right. Already the book felt heavy in his arms.

As luck would have it there was a vendor nearby selling a sort of backpack. Some were leather and some were woven, like baskets. Kurt ended up with a cloth pack because it was a gorgeous dark blue with gray straps. A little reluctantly he slid his book and his stuffed owl into the pack and slipped it over his shoulders. His purchases were safe and the bag was comfortable too.

Kurt was standing in the middle of the path again, looking around, trying to decide where to go next when his eyes lit on the tea shop, Madd's Tea Shoppe. There were several little signs on the tiny window promising the best tea in the market, curious cakes, and regional delicacies. Kurt's mouth did feel a little dry, so he pointed it out and Coach followed him with a grin.

Madd's Tea Shoppe happened to be through a very narrow door. The shops on either side were so close that each of them had a sign on their door claiming that they were not in fact, the tea shop. The "T" Shophad several of these signs and Kurt was still standing there reading them when Coach shrugged and told him the place only sold the letter "T". Why anyone would need a shop full of letters or why they would stick it next to a shop that sold tea drinks was beyond Kurt. He gave up trying to puzzle it out and pushed into Madd's small shop instead.

Kurt stood in the entryway, disoriented and blinking in the bright light which seemed to stream in through large bay windows. He wanted to step back out and make sure it was still night out, but already the shop beckoned him further with delightful smells and the sound of soft chatter. Coach paid him no mind but moved past him through a curtained doorway.

"Well, come on Porcelain, I'm not standing up in this joint forever," Coach called from the other side as if he needed any more encouragement.

Kurt pushed through the curtains and stepped into a room that was part parlor and part tea shop. The teas were arranged in miniature drawers that lined all of one wall. They were smaller than his hand and when he inspected one closer, he found that they were the exact right size to fit a single row of tea bags. Each drawer was labeled in scrawling black script which was difficult to read. The rest of the room was filled with tables and chairs and potted plants. Beaded lamps in reds and greens cast colorful light over cream tablecloths.

The customers were waited on by ladies in prim lavender dresses with ruffled white aprons and caps. The dark wood floors matched the paneled and oriental rugs protected the floor from the tables and chairs. Tinkling music box music played softly in the background and everything was infused with that warm sweet smell he'd encountered when he first arrived at the market.

Coach was busy looking through the teas, so Kurt followed her example. Some teas sounded safer than others. _Azure, Chamomile, Lady Grey. Stress Relief, Banish, Womperwarts_. They didn't seem to be in any particular order, so Kurt continued to scan the types. _Dreamless, Vanilla, Purple Sticky, Miranda_.

"Can't decide?"

Kurt turned his head toward the voice. A young man, tall and broad shouldered, smiled back at him. He had sandy brown hair and kind eyes.

"I really can't seem to," Kurt admitted. He glanced up at the wall and it stretched all the way to the ceiling.

"Maybe I can help," offered the stranger. "I've not been coming here long but I've learned a thing or two about the tea."

Kurt thanked him and the young man began naming his favorites. None of them stood out exactly.

"Maybe you could tell me what you like. I might be more help that way," he suggested.

"Well, I like a lot of different things, so that's usually my problem," Kurt said. He knew it was the truth, but when he tried he couldn't summon a single example. It was almost as if he couldn't access that part of him mind. His memories. Not one of them. He stood there staring at the stranger without really meaning to and he tried to concentrate. There, fuzzy and far away, was a memory. He was sure it was a memory because it was too terrible to be something he'd made up on his own.

A man crying beside a grave. Kurt reaching out for his hand. It was gone as quickly as it came and it left Kurt feeling out of breath and overly warm.

"Are you okay?" The man asked. "You were going to tell me what you liked and then you sort of faded."

"I'm sorry. Yes, I think something fruity or herbal is best. Maybe citrusy," he said finally. It felt like the right answer even though he couldn't be sure.

"I think this might be the one for you," said the stranger. He reached up fairly high and pulled out a little pyramid shaped bag, passing it to Kurt.

"What is it?" he asked.

"This is Bassalini. It's light, herbal, hint of orange. It's really good," he assured Kurt.

Kurt sniffed carefully at the tea bag and it did smell really good. There was something fresh and happy about it that made him decide to go with it.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem." the stranger shrugged and shot Kurt a smile before leaving.

By then Coach was waving him over from her seat at a table, so Kurt joined her.

"I don't normally come here," she told him, peering suspiciously down into her cup. "Did you find something decent?" Kurt told her he had as a plump little white-haired lady set their table with some more mismatched china. He dropped the Bassalini into his cup and poured the steaming water over it. As he watched the tea began to steep, shifting from emerald green, which lightened and lightened until it was a pale pastel blue.

After waiting a few moments, Kurt removed his tea bag and lifted the cup to his lips. Kurt decided to skip the cream and sugar, but he sipped carefully at his tea to see if it might need honey or lemon. All four flavorings had appeared on the table quickly thanks to their server.

Kurt's tea was mildly sweet on its own, though he couldn't pin down the specific flavors. He liked it! It was refreshing and Kurt decided it didn't need anything else. Their server brought out a tray of petite sandwiches and cakes, then, and Kurt reached for one of the cakes, curious to know if they were the source of the delectable smell that permeated the grounds of the market. He lifted and sniffed. That wasn't the smell. It smelled sweet and made his mouth water but it wasn't the scent he was looking for. Briefly, Kurt was disappointed. That moment passed quickly enough because then he bit into his cake and it melted light and sweet on his tongue.

Coach added a number of things to her tea, some from the table and some from her pocket. "Supplements," she explained. Kurt didn't take any when she offered to share. Coach informed him it was his loss.

They drank their tea in relative silence. Coach explained the quiet was necessary for her digestion, but Kurt didn't mind. It gave him time to consider a few things. Things like why he couldn't remember simple things and why that didn't upset him more. The tea warmed him from the inside out, stealing over him with a languid bliss he could feel in his bones. The little cakes provided just enough of a sugar rush to keep him alert while the tea relaxed him. Around him the other diners chattered away in a pleasant background hum.

By the time they were finished, Kurt had come to the conclusion that he really ought to keep trying to dredge up some further sense of who he was or where he came from. He knew his name, how old he was. He could remember a man he thought must be his father, and a room that felt like it must be his bedroom. Green eyes that made his pulse race just a little and a smile that tugged at his heart. Kurt couldn't be sure who they belonged to, but it must be someone important. Beyond that there was very little.

As they left Madd's shop, Kurt startled at the sight of an old woman just outside the doorway. She was hunched over, her back piled high with an assortment of different packs full of junk. It looked heavy, so heavy it literally weighed her down so her feet dragged along the path as she tried to move forward. Kurt stared at her hard, even though doing so hurt; he couldn't understand why the sight of her made his head and back ache. Maybe in sympathy. He wanted to help her but she ignored his approach and Coach started giving him dirty looks.

They moved along, slower now because Kurt was really trying to think and it was difficult to do that when Coach kept finding items that piqued his interest. A snow globe with a castle, a pair of black and white striped pants, a bow tie covered in safety pins, a red bedazzled microphone. All of it went into his pack which was beginning to feel just a little bit heavy.

As he shopped, Kurt noticed a couple of others, like the old woman before, with their backs piled high with trash and junk. One was a middle aged man, another a pink skinned waif. Each seemed weary, dragging themselves along, still shopping as if they didn't already have enough. It was confusing to Kurt and his head gave a dull throb each time he saw another of them. In fact, he was starting to see more and more of them and he was starting to wonder what it meant.

Kurt stopped to lean against a windowsill along the path. He was starting to feel a little worn down himself and his head was really beginning to be a problem. He thought he remembered seeing something like an herbal medicinal shop back aways and was going to ask Coach about it when she pointed out a clothing store. Kurt pushed off the windowsill. He promised himself he'd ask about something for his headache soon. Right now he wanted to see what amazing things he was certain he'd see in this shop.

Inside, Kurt had to stand still just to get his bearings again. The shop was huge, much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. It felt like a world of it's own and Kurt loved it right away. Everything was brightly lit and organized. There was every manner of dress you could imagine and Kurt let himself wander through the women's clothing for a while just admiring the cut of the dresses and the fabrics, some of which completely defied explanation. The more extravagant pieces like the dresses with trains or the cloaks in velvet and silk were intriguing enough, but there were also pieces like a cape made from white feathers that promised the gift of flight and slippers that promised to make the wearer a brilliant dancer.

Kurt lost himself, forgetting his headache completely among the rows, racks, and shelves of the store. He felt good here, energized all over again. Coach followed along, commenting casually and dryly about certain pieces as Kurt examined them, but for the most part he led himself. He chose a silver chain mail scarf, a black beetle brooch, a pair of dark cherry velvet boots, and a deep blue jacket with big black buttons – all of which made him feel really good about being there. He was wandering toward the back, away from the other shoppers when he happened on a pair of shiny gold jeans. He set all his other choices down on one of the mahogany tables and picked them up out of a pile of other pants. The way the material felt in his hands made him feel like he knew something about this pair of jeans. Had once owned some like this or seen some somewhere. They made him think of bright lights and a song, a very important song. They made him think of taking chances.

Kurt was staring at the jeans in his hands, running his fingers over them, trying desperately to remember anything, and it made his heart race. "I am not the boy next door," he whispered. Kurt took the jeans and walked slowly to the front of the store, to a bank of windows where he stopped to peer out into the market. The twinkling lanterns above the market still swayed in the breeze. There were still shops and carts and vendors and customers, though Kurt had never noticed the piles of filth heaped up against the sides of the buildings. He'd not seen that so many people were weighed down by their own piles of garbage that they were fine to sit or lay down almost anywhere, even in the street. There was a hopelessness that seemed to fill the air and where before the market had smelled sweet and inviting, now when he breathed in there was nothing but the smell of rot in the air.

Kurt glanced down at the jeans in his hands one more time. There were hisjeans, he remembered. His costume for his NYADA audition. This time, when the memories came back, they didn't flood in and hit him all at once. This time he felt like he was waking up from a really terrible dream.

Kurt dropped the jeans – he knew they weren't actually his pair anyway – and he threw the pack off his back as he ran out into the street. Coach saw and chased him, calling for him to wait. He couldn't wait, though. He didn't know how long he'd been wandering around, trapped in this place while Rachel remained a prisoner of the Goblin King. He knew he should be furious, and maybe he would be again soon, but mostly he just needed to focus on where he was and how to arrive where he needed to be.

He started running. He ran straight down the street; the longer he ran, the worse his surroundings became. The buildings weren't charming and inviting anymore, they were crumbling and decaying. The heaps of garbage were piled so high he couldn't even see over them. Coach was catching up to him now and Kurt took a quick turn between buildings and ducked into a side door.

He thought he was slipping into another shop, but he found himself inside what looked to be like his room. It was disorienting, and Kurt stumbled forward in shock. He spun around trying to figure it out but everything was perfect. This was his room.

He flung himself onto his bed in relief. It could've been a dream! Well, a nightmare, really. Kurt hugged his pillow, burrowing his head into the sleek, cool pillowcase. It wasn't any good though, not now that he remembered. He pulled himself up off the bed and paced around to the end of the bed just as Coach slipped in the door and blocked his exit.

"Where are you going, Porcelain?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed at him and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I have to go, I have somewhere I have to be right now," Kurt told her, trying to sound reasonable.

"You don't have to go anywhere, everything you want is already right here," she said, stepping closer. "Here, you dropped this." Coach held out his stuffed owl but Kurt didn't reach for it.

"No," he said firmly. Coach's eyes went wide.

"What do you mean, no?" she asked.

"I'm not staying here. I need to save Rachel!" Kurt yelled. His yell seemed to shake at the walls. Coach was unconvinced though and stepped closer still.

"I said no!" Kurt screamed. This times the walls cracked, opening a crack above the vanity. Kurt ran for it, climbing up on the vanity top to reach the hole. Garbage was already pouring through it and Coach was grabbing at his legs. Kurt screamed again as he kicked at her and garbage tumbled down on them both.

As Kurt scrambled, his boot tip caught on the top of his mirror, giving him a little bit more leverage to climb higher. Kurt struggled and yelled and Coach yanked his leg, hard. Just when Kurt thought Coach would pull him all the way back down, a hand wrapped around his from above and pulled hard, hauling him through the hole and out away from the garbage.

Before him stood Finn and Puck!

"How did you find me?" Kurt asked as he dusted himself off and stood up. They were standing in the middle of a garbage dump. There was no sign of the Market now, just trash.

"We were close by, just there at the ruins where you disappeared, waiting to see if you'd come back," Finn explained, pointing.

Kurt hadn't traveled far at all, it seemed.

"Where did you go?" Puck asked.

"I went to a ball, I think. And the Goblin Market," Kurt told them. It sounded crazy, and Finn looked confused.

"I was at the ball, but I don't know how I got there, and Sebastian was there too," Kurt was about to describe what happened when he caught the surprise on Finn's face. "I'm still a little confused, but it was the Goblin King's party, so he was there." Kurt pursed his lips. "It was a trap," he said firmly, though he might have just been trying to reassure himself because the ball hadn't felt at all like a trap, at least not until the very end. "Then when I got away I was outside the Market and I had no idea how I got there or even who I was."

Puck just took it in stride. "The Market is almost impossible to get to, but the gate's in the ruins so I guess you must have fallen through by accident," he said. "You wouldn't remember who you were because that's the way the Market works for outsiders. It's not exactly a part of this realm and the people there don't have to answer to the king."

Kurt thought about that and what it meant. Maybe he had arrived by accident and not because Sebastian wanted him trapped under a mountain of his belongings forever. Not that it mattered in the scheme of things. The King didn't play fair and he still needed to save Rachel. "How long was I gone?" he asked.

"Not long at all," Finn said.

Puck agreed. "We'd only been sitting a few minutes."

Not long? Kurt shook his head; he was never going to get used to the way time moved in this place, but this also meant he might still have time to save Rachel.

"How much further to the castle now?" he asked.

"You're there," Finn said, and he turned Kurt by the shoulders so he could see the castle walls at the edge of the dump. Why hadn't they mentioned that sooner?

"Come on!" Kurt said, jogging and sliding down the pile of trash. "We have to hurry!"

Puck and Finn followed quickly along down the pile and they found themselves standing in front of a gate.

An armored guard stood slumped against the wall, sleeping. Puck tried the large round handle right away, banging it against the gate. The gate didn't budge an inch but it was loud. Kurt rushed forward, panicked.

"Quiet!" he hissed, but Puck proceeded to jostle the sleeping guard.

"Wake up already, open up, let us in!" he said.

"We don't want him to wake up! We just want to get in, quietly!" Kurt grabbed at his arm while Finn stood to the side looking a little lost like he didn't know how to help.

"I'm not afraid of this wimp. He should wake up and get this gate open for us!" Puck went to bang on the guard's helmet but Kurt pulled him back, shushing at him as he pulled.

While they argued tactics, Finn stepped in and pushed at the door until it swung in then he waved at them with both arms to get their attention. They both stared back a second, surprised, then the three of them hurried through the gate into the little village surrounding the castle.

The gate swung silently closed behind them and they stood staring around at the empty streets.

"That was too easy," Kurt said quietly, but he proceeded forward anyway, walking briskly toward the castle.

They only got a few more feet before a large steel wall lurched into place from either side of the street, immediately blocking their path. It was more than just a metal wall though, Kurt realized. In front of them the wall displayed a huge automaton that stood twice as tall as Finn and at least twice as wide as all of them put together.

"No," Kurt said softly. "Please, no."

As they watched, the automaton's eyes began to glow a bright red and steam began to pour out of its joints as it moved slowly to detach itself from the wall. As it came loose a large spiked flail roughly the size of a boulder fell from its hold – it was gaining speed as it swung towards them.


	11. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some time jumps which I hope are not too confusing.

_Sebastian, int. castle, immediately following the masquerade_

The ballroom was dark and silent when Sebastian returned to his senses. The shared dream that had been the masked ball was over, and he stood alone in the middle of the floor, one gloved hand covering his face as he tried to mentally retrace his steps and figure out what he had done wrong. Kurt had taken the dream and shredded it. He had yelled at Sebastian, accused him of forcing himself on Kurt. It made the king's head ache to think about it. It made him sick, and nothing ever made him feel that way.

Sebastian was a master of illusion, totally in control of his world and of his subjects at all times; but when it came to Kurt, he simply didn't know the rules of the game. It was utterly frustrating and completely infuriating. It was also incredibly appealing in every way. Kurt was a puzzle and Sebastian loved puzzles. He was so much more than the sum of his parts, maybe that was the mystery. He was courage and strength, spirit and heart. Kurt was witty and intelligent and everything everyone else around here wasn't. He was the man of Sebastian's dreams, except Sebastian hadn't needed to dream him up at all, because he was real. Sebastian just needed to rethink his approach – more than that, he needed to convince Kurt to let him explain himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by footfalls on the marble floor. Sebastian turned around in time to see one of the guards enter the room and cross the massive floor. "Has it started?" he asked. The guard shook his head.

"No Majesty, it's Blaine. He's asking for an audience." The guard's face was completely impassive as he waited for an answer.

Of course. "Tell Blaine that I am unable to receive him at this time," Sebastian said wearily. He didn't want to fight with Blaine anymore. It was too exhausting. If he could go back he'd tell Blaine everything from the very beginning, but there was no going back now. He'd thought how perfect it would be to offer Kurt an ally in the Labyrinth, but he'd never expected Blaine to fall prey to the fairy tale and wind up siding with Kurt. All players had their roles, he supposed. It was a miscalculation, but not one he couldn't still take advantage of.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard bowed his head and retreated.

Sebastian lifted his hand, signaling to one of the many goblins standing in the periphery, always waiting to be put to use. He didn't have to wait long at all before one of them was standing at his waist. "Tell me about our guest. Is she still reigning over the dining hall?"

"She is, Majesty. Lady Rachel has many tales and many songs from Broad Way, a magical land of song and dance," the goblin said seriously.

"Is that right?" Sebastian smiled, picturing the way he'd last seen her. Rachel had the entire court in her grasp already and she'd been there for less than a day.

"And what about Kurt? I was expecting him to storm the castle right away. What's the delay?" Sebastian crossed his arms as he asked, trying to prepare himself for the answer, whatever it might be.

Suddenly the goblin looked nervous. He swung his little head around as though looking for someone else to take his place.

"What happened, what are you not telling me?" Sebastian demanded.

"He- he's in the Goblin Market," the creature said, his voice stuttering and soft. He was trembling all over.

"What?" Sebastian's voice echoed through the ballroom and the goblin scurried back from him. "How is that possible?" Kurt was due back, escorted by companions of this world. Sebastian had even checked to see they remained where Kurt left them. And now he was in the market? Sebastian was suddenly fuming.

"It happened when he broke out of the dream. He was crossing worlds at just the right time for it and he slipped in," the goblin held up his hands, afraid of what was coming.

"And why wasn't I informed immediately?" Sebastian was yelling now. He could feel eyes on him from the shadows. "Never mind!" he yelled at the room. His arms swept out in a gesture of frustration. He wasn't entirely familiar with the feeling in his chest but he imagined it might be what desperation felt like.

Sebastian didn't wait for anyone else to say anything. Instead he stormed out of the room. He had to see. Had to know for himself what was going on with Kurt, where he was, what he was doing. Was he still safe? If Kurt really was in the Goblin Market then he was out of Sebastian's reach and that made Sebastian feel sicker than anything Kurt had accused him of.

A flurry of footsteps followed along behind Sebastian as he hurried to his chambers. The doors were pushed open for him and he crossed the space to the wide window that looked down over the city. Next to it was a garish claw-footed silver pedestal. He hated the thing, but it served a very important purpose. Sebastian produced one of his crystal balls from inside his jacket and set it carefully into the top of the pedestal. Then he sat, gazing into it.

"Where are you, Kurt?" he whispered.

As he waited, he remembered the first time he'd seen Kurt in this very crystal. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and in some ways it was. Kurt had only been a boy then, but he already had the gift. He was reaching out to Sebastian without even knowing it and Sebastian had been so surprised to see a young human speaking of him in the crystal. As far as Sebastian knew, as far as anyone knew, the crystal balls could only be controlled from this side. Kurt's appearance, without any help from Sebastian, proved them all wrong.

It would happen again and again over the years. Kurt's fascination with Sebastian's world was obvious and his control over the dimensions, this ability to connect, was unparallelled. He'd wanted so very much to meet Kurt, to speak with him. To bring him over. Sebastian had never meant to do it like this though, Kurt had made that decision when he'd called on the goblins to take his friend. Sebastian hadn't played that game in centuries but he'd give Kurt anything he wanted, even this. Now they were locked in this game until the end and Sebastian wished he'd refused to play from the start.

Kurt's face swam to the surface of the crystal then and Sebastian leaned in closer. Kurt's voice, picked up by the magic of the pedestal, floated up and out into Sebastian's chambers. Sebastian held his breath, eyes narrowing in concentration.

" _Well, I like a lot of different things, so that's usually my problem _," Kurt was saying. Sebastian thought he was in a shop, which didn't bode well.__

"Fuck. I have no way of knowing how much time has passed for him." Sebastian stared at the pale image of Kurt, listening as he chose his tea, watching as he sat down. He was with the Coach! Sebastian's fingers dug into his thighs; he couldn't just sit here and watch Kurt ensnared in the Market. Once he allowed himself to begin shopping – and it looked like he had at least one or two purchases already – he'd never stop until it consumed him. He looked so blank and empty; it was terrifying in a wholly unexpected way. That must be the after-effects of the dream state, Sebastian thought, and he was hit with a fresh wave of guilt at his inability to get any of this right. Now Kurt was in danger, very real danger, and Sebastian had no way of reaching him.

Except maybe he did.

Sebastian's thoughts were pure chaos. The blood roared in his ears and he pressed his fingertips together until his hands ached. He had to get in there somehow. "Bring me Wes," Sebastian ordered. He needed his trusted advisor right now because his next moves might be the choosing between war or peace.

The Goblin Market wasn't in his domain. It wasn't a part of his labyrinth or his city. Technically it wasn't a part of anywhere, but he was certain there was a monarch somewhere that could claim authority over it. He could not. Beings from every dimension were regularly lured there, but it was the humans more often than not that were trapped. They didn't know the rules; they didn't know how to shop without being trapped.

Wes arrived only a few moments later and Sebastian ordered all the non-essential persons out. The rest of them drew closer to the crystal to follow Kurt along as Sebastian spoke.

"I have to go in," he started.

"I'm going to advise against that, Sire," Wes said immediately.

"I know that, but Kurt is in danger, more danger than anyone else would be because of his present mental state – a state I put him in! This was supposed to be fun, just a game. A game Kurt wanted to play! Now he's helplessly perusing the shops of the Goblin Market with the worst possible guide: the Coach!" Sebastian realized he wasn't watching the crystal and glanced back down only to see that again, time had moved and Kurt was being a very busy shopper.

"We have to go right now, I'm telling you. There is no time, I only called you in here to ask how best to go about doing this because let me assure you, I am doing this!" Sebastian's voice was beginning to echo around the chamber. Wes wasn't fazed though; he remained calm, though gravely serious, as he spoke.

"If you do this, you'll have to tear down the barrier at its thinnest point. You'll have to take troops in with you and you'll maybe have a window that lasts only minutes," Wes told him.

"Wait." David, Wes' second in command, raised his hand, waving it at the crystal ball. "He's doing something, look!" Everyone leaned in closer. Kurt was throwing off the pack of things he'd gathered from his back and running off down the street.

"How did he do that?" Wes asked, confused. People didn't just suddenly shake off the magic of the market.

"He's magic," Sebastian whispered. Kurt was proving himself to be stronger than any of them had ever imagined.

Kurt had ducked into one of the shops, and now he was in the most vulnerable position of all. The market took the memory of his room, at home, right out of his mind and fed it back to him, recreating this falsely safe space in which to hide. It was the final trap. Sebastian felt like he was holding his breath, but Kurt only bought it for a second.

The Coach caught up to him but Kurt stood his ground, refusing to take another moment of the insanity. All of them watched in awe as the walls of the illusion literally began breaking down around Kurt. It would be one thing for a fae to have that much control in the market, but no human had ever escaped like that without help.

Sebastian was grinning. When Kurt was lifted up and out of the crumbled illusion into the garbage heap, Wes cheered and everyone clapped. Something tight inside Sebastian gave way and relief washed through him, soothing him and allowing him to breathe again. He also felt just a little lightheaded and had to sit before anyone noticed him swaying on his feet.

"That was incredible," David said. "I had no idea."

A bubble of laughter escaped Sebastian, taking him by surprise, but he just shook his head a little at his advisors.

"That's Kurt. He's not like anyone else. He has the power to change everything." Sebastian stood back up to address them both. "Ready the castle. They'll be coming now for Lady Rachel. We're almost at the end of this story, and I have to get the ending right."

Wes and David left him and Sebastian let the goblins back into his chamber to help him change for battle. The entire time he kept silent, thinking through his strategy, repeating the ending of the story to himself over and over again. Kurt was coming to a moment of choice, and Sebastian had to make it perfect for him. No more improvising on his part, he decided. That hadn't worked before. Kurt wanted the villain, calling to Sebastian across worlds again and again until finally he'd said the words that set all of this in motion. 'I wish the goblins would come and take you away.' He'd longed for the dark Goblin King, had trembled before him upon his arrival, and that was exactly what Sebastian would continue to give him. First that and then everything else too. Anything he ever wanted, in fact.

* * *

_Kurt, int. Goblin City, currently facing the city's defenses_

"Duck!" Kurt cried. Everyone scattered as the automaton's flail swung over their heads. Puck executed a roll, Finn just dropped to the dirt and scrambled out of the way. Kurt scrambled the other way, ducking his head down as he ran. He looped around so he was out of the way of the flail, but there was no way around the automaton because the thing took up the entire width of the street, blocking them in with only the gate at their backs.

Puck drew up on his feet and wielded his sword. Finn was pretty quick to his feet and he and Kurt flanked Puck. The mechanical beast advanced on them another step and all of them took a step back together. It would be smart, maybe, to run back out the way they came in, but just as they stepped back a line of spikes came up through the ground, effectively cutting off their only means of escape. Kurt stumbled a little, trying not to fall into the spikes, and Finn grabbed at his arm to keep him up on his feet. One spike tore through Kurt's sleeve and he had to carefully pull himself off. The threesome exchanged grim glances with one another. There was no way out. They were going to have to take the thing down somehow, but just then, Kurt couldn't think how.

There was a smell that hit him all at once; a hot, acrid scent that came from the automaton and burned Kurt's nose. It poured out of the thing and began to fill the air around them, choking Kurt just a little as he tried to think.

"Look out!" Puck cried just as the flail swung back over their head and everyone ducked low again. Luckily the contraption didn't have much coordination, because if its aim were any better the fight would already be over. Its gears ground loudly as it advanced another step and Kurt looked around hastily for anything he could use as a defense against it. There was just nothing!

Kurt caught movement out of the corner of his eye and he looked up: there was Blaine, running along the top of one of the walls! It was high, too high to be moving along so quickly and Kurt was scared suddenly that he was about to watch Blaine make a deadly mistake and fall. "Blaine!" he called out, but Blaine jogged along, ignoring Kurt until he was just above the steam powered creature. Kurt realized what he was about to do only a moment before he did it.

Blaine leapt off the wall and right onto the automaton's head! Everything seemed to slow down then. Kurt rushed forward and grabbed at the thing's arm, the one with the flail. He couldn't actually stop it from moving, but he held on anyway as the thing lifted him several inches off the ground. Finn rushed in and grabbed at the other steely arm as Puck began hacking with his sword at the legs. Above them Blaine seemed to struggle with something just behind the thing's head, but from his vantage point, Kurt couldn't see what it was.

Kurt's heart was thudding in his chest and with every choked breath, Kurt thought, this could be the end for all of them. Just as the arm began to lift him higher, he heard Blaine's voice rise above the din of steel grinding against steel: "I said, get out!" Kurt looked up in time to watch the big round head fall off to the side and hit the ground with a great crash.

The arms stopped moving then because the little goblin inside controlling it was fighting with Blaine. He eventually lifted it out of its seat and dropped it down to the ground after the helmet. Kurt, Finn, and Puck all stopped what they were doing as it came to its feet, cursing and spitting. It only took the three of them stepping forward to make the little thing scurry back, terrified. Blaine settled into the automaton's control seat and began pulling at the levers, trying to shut it down. The flail swung again, and Blaine swore a blue streak, as everyone scattered once more. The gears screeched in protest, but finally he managed to disable it.

Blaine scrambled over the side and tried to slip down the steel arm, but fell instead, rolling on the ground. Kurt hurried to help him to his feet. "Blaine! Blaine, are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to pull Blaine to his feet.

"I'm alright," Blaine assured him as he dusted his breeches off. Puck and Finn drew close, closing in on either side of Kurt. Blaine glanced at them, but he stood his ground. Kurt could tell he had something to say.

"I won't ask for your forgiveness," he began. "I didn't know what that peach would do. Sebastian made me give it to you, and I never claimed to be anything but a coward. I don't expect us to be friends; I just wanted you to know that I never meant to put you in danger." Blaine smiled sadly and took a step back, to leave.

"Blaine, I forgive you," Kurt told him.

"You do?" Blaine asked softly. Kurt nodded.

"You were brave, man. I rarely see that kind of courage," Puck added. This seemed to further confuse Blaine, but he wasn't trying to leave anymore. He was smiling.

"Everyone makes mistakes. You're our friend and we need you with us," Finn said as he clapped Blaine on the back.

Blaine wasn't able to speak for a moment. He was overwhelmed, but finally grinned at them all and said, "Well, what are we standing around here for? We have a maiden to rescue!"

No one could argue that. Kurt only hoped time had not yet run out on him. They were now able to get to the wall behind the automaton and so they slipped past and began pushing on the wall, at the seam in the middle. With all four of them pushing together, the wall gave slowly, groaning on its hinges as it swung inward, revealing the Goblin City.

As before, the streets here were still and silent. The group moved forward as quietly as they could, Finn and Puck on either side of Kurt, Blaine taking up the rear. All of them watched carefully for any sign of movement as they crept forward.

* * *

_Sebastian, int. castle, immediately following the crystal gazing_

Once he was dressed, Sebastian made his way to the dining hall, where he found Lady Rachel still keeping his court completely enthralled. Dinner was over now, so the minstrel was there, taking some final instruction from her before they began to perform. They'd created something of a impromptu staging area near the head of the table so that everyone could see them from their seats.

Rachel, dressed in her dinner finery, sparkled and shone like a jewel in the soft light, and when she began to sing a hush fell over the room. Sebastian watched her sing, marveling in the way her words wrapped her audience up and drew them in. It was magical in its own right. He was thinking about how he might have taken her aside at some point, might have tried to explain everything from a different perspective. Something told him that Rachel, being Kurt's closest companion, would have made an excellent ally. However, he'd not done that. He'd kept to the script, at least when it came to the maiden fair. She didn't know she was a prisoner though. He'd not had the heart to tell her this wasn't all some beautiful dream she was having. It didn't hurt anything to let her have her way here, and when it all came down to the end, he could explain things and Kurt would be there too – she would never have to be really afraid. It made perfect sense to play it out this way.

It was in the middle of this line of thought that one of his guards came running into the dining hall and Rachel's song was cut short. It was happening now, he knew.

"Majesty! It's them! They're in the city now!" he cried.

Sebastian schooled his face into a grimace and stood. "Well, don't just stand there! Call the guard, call in the troops! They have to be stopped!"

The goblins all rushed from the room, leaving Sebastian facing the Lady Rachel and the rest of his court. It was a gamble, and Sebastian was playing it all very close to the cuff. No one in this room knew what was going on. Most of the city didn't know. It had to feel real to Kurt, it had to be real, otherwise he wasn't delivering the story properly. The element of danger was there too, but from everything he'd seen so far, Sebastian had no doubt that Kurt would soon be storming the castle gates, completely unharmed.

"Play on," he told the minstrel. "We're about to have some very important guests."

Rachel approached him, purpose lighting her eyes. He supposed her visit was drawing to a close; he ought to give her some sort of insight about what was happening.

"Is this a common occurrence, Sebastian?" she demanded.

Sebastian couldn't stop the little twitch in the corner of his mouth. She had so much spirit, she was exactly what this place needed. "Are you asking if it's a common occurrence to have guests or a common occurrence to have a battle on my hands?" He raises his eyebrows at her, a smile tugging at his mouth.

"I hardly think something as serious as this should be taken so lightly. What of my safety?" She crossed her arms, standing just as tall as her short stature allowed.

"I promise that no harm will come to you," he said, seriously. Then made up his mind to tell her the truth, as hard as that would be, there was only a little time left. "I think you should sit down with me though. We have to talk about exactly who I am expecting and why they're fighting their way in."

* * *

_Kurt, int. Goblin City, current timeline_

The Goblin City was empty the entire time they walked. Kurt was wound so tight he was sure he would snap at any moment, but they continued on, one foot in front of the other until they were standing at the steps to the castle. The city itself wasn't so very large. They'd come through the outer parts populated mostly by tiny houses, where the smaller variety of goblins must live. Toward the center of the city they'd begun passing shops, all with their windows and doors closed. It was late, to be sure, but it didn't seem like the entire town should be closed down like this. Finally the shops gave way to the larger homes and sturdier buildings that led up to the castle. Even though it was only a couple of blocks Kurt thought of it as the wealthier district. It must be where the others – those that looked human – lived.

Walking in the city gave him time to think, something he'd rarely had since stepping foot into the labyrinth, and thinking had made him curious. There was a part of him that wanted to know more about this place and why things were the way they were. There was also a part of him that wanted to know a lot more about Sebastian and why he was the way he was. All of this was coming to a close, Kurt could feel it, and he knew he was never going to get the answers he needed. It made him terribly sad suddenly, and he had to put it out of his mind, because he couldn't face what that feeling might mean.

They all stood silently for just a moment and then Kurt said, "I think we've made it."

"Piece of cake," Blaine said.

Before they could take another step, a goblin army sprang up from hiding along the walls to either side of the steps. They marched around to block the doors and they marched from the side streets as well, closing in around the group. The clang of armor and the crunch of many boots in the dirt made Kurt's heart sink, sent his pulse racing. He had no idea how they were going to get through so many, or even if they could survive.

Kurt glanced from one side to the other as the goblins raised their swords and spears, and then he looked up again, at the castle that was just out of his reach. A horn was blown and the goblin forces began to charge. Kurt grabbed at Finn's hand. "This way!" he called, and ducked them both around a corner. Puck and Blaine went in the opposite direction, which worked out well for all of them since it temporarily confused the goblin soldiers behind them. They were confused enough that Kurt was able to lose them for the time being as he and Finn crouched behind some barrels while they tried to think of a way out of all of this.

The narrow alley they were in was winding, but if they were caught there, they'd probably not escape. Kurt knew his best chance right now was staying out of sight, but that was only going to work for so long. He needed to get up to the castle doors again, somehow. A loud explosion made both of them jump and Finn frown at the sound. "Cannons," he told Kurt solemnly. The whole city had been shaken and Kurt couldn't help but pause to wonder if Puck and Blaine had found a good place to hide.

"There they are!" a voice called and Kurt looked up to see four of the mounted soldiers at the entrance to the alley. He and Finn stood and ran as one toward the other end. They had to push their way through several bundles of hay on the other side and were immediately seen by the goblins rushing past. Finn grabbed at Kurt's sleeve and led the way this time. They ran straight across and onto a side street, past several shops and then into one, where Finn carefully shut the door behind them.

"This isn't going to work. We can't outrun a city full of goblins," Kurt whispered. He swiped his hands over the back of his neck as they sank to the floor behind the bar of the tiny scaled tavern they'd entered.

"I know," Finn answered. Both of them sighed heavily. Then the door blew open and Blaine and Puck ducked in. Kurt was happy to see them safe and sound but he wasn't happy at all that they'd apparently brought the soldiers right to them. Puck held the door steady, but already the windows were being rattled as the troops closed in on them and tried to pound their way inside.

"Come out, you're surrounded!" one of them called but Kurt knew that wasn't an option. If they were going to capture him – or worse, if they were going to kill him – he planned to go down fighting. They all took up the nearest thing they could find and began beating at the goblins that tried to come through the windows, but the moment one fell away it was replaced by another – like a swarm, Kurt thought. There were just too many of them to fight off forever.

He thought then of Rachel and what would happen to her if he failed, which he was pretty certain was what was happening at this point. He wondered if there was any chance she could escape on her own. Rachel was just as stubborn as he was, just as determined; maybe she could do it, but even if she did, would she be trapped here forever, as the Goblin King had threatened? It seemed hopeless. He was letting her down in the worst possible way and he couldn't think of any way to get out of this situation.

The tavern was beginning to shake under the weight of the goblins outside. They were literally threatening to collapse the place around Kurt and his friends. Kurt continued to hammer away at any and all limbs that came through his window with the pot he'd grabbed while Blaine did the same on the other side. Puck was in the middle holding up the door, but when Kurt looked around he realized he didn't know where Finn had gone.

The window Kurt was guarding was now completely broken and a knobbing green head was trying to come in. Kurt bashed at it with the bottom of the pot while the creature shrieked and tried to bite at him. Fingers pushed around the edges of the frame, hands grabbed at his wrist trying to take the pot out of his hand, but Kurt didn't relent. He screamed at them and pounded on whatever came through the window.

Beside him, Puck was using his sword to hack and chop at anything coming in around the door which was now almost all the way off its hinges. Blaine had a poker from the tavern's fireplace and was doing a similar dance at his window. They kept coming, but Kurt held his ground, his helplessness in this situation turning to rage at the way all of this was working out.

Another cannon went off, this one opening a crack in the tavern wall where the goblins began focusing on pulling it further open. Just as Kurt was certain the entire place was about to fall he heard a strange noise that momentarily caused everyone to go still. It was high-pitched and loud, so loud that it reminded Kurt of the weather siren back home. If you were standing too close to it when it went off it rang inside you, jarring your whole body. This was like that, only so much more terrible since Kurt had no idea what it might be. He exchanged a worried glance with Puck and Blaine, but then the noise stopped.

A hush fell in its absence, as if every last one of them was holding their breath. Kurt was holding his too. Then panic broke out around the outside of the tavern. The goblins pulled themselves back out of the crack in the wall, away from the broken windows, and out of the crevice where they'd been forcing their way through the door.

There were screams and sounds of chaos all around them. Puck whipped the door open and the three of them crowded it, trying to see what was happening outside. "What was that?" Kurt asked, but neither Puck or Blaine had an answer. All any of them knew at this point was that whatever it was, it was causing all the goblins to scramble and run. That was when the first boulder rolled past. It was enormous and gaining speed rapidly, putting Kurt in mind of an old Indiana Jones movie he'd seen when he was a kid. Several smaller boulders followed in its wake, and as they watched, more and more began to pour past the door. Finally the entire path was full of boulders rolling faster and faster. Kurt didn't know what was going on but whatever it was, it was chasing the goblins out and away from them.

"I can't believe that worked," Finn said, from behind them. Kurt whipped around in time to see him struggling to come down the little staircase.

"What did you do?" Kurt asked him, completely shocked that Finn was behind this somehow.

"My mother had something of an affinity for rock," he explained as he finally made it to the floor of the tavern. "I've always been able to call smaller stones like that, but I've never tried anything on this scale." He grinned at Kurt. Suddenly Kurt remembered the rocks he'd been able to throw at the goblins back when he'd first been trying to rescue Finn. They'd seemed to come out of nowhere and be the perfect size for him to use. Kurt could feel his eyes go wide as he realized that Finn had overheard him wishing for something to throw and had arranged for him to then have something. Finn must have seen this understanding in his eyes because he nodded happily.

"So that ought to keep them busy for the time being, but it won't keep them occupied forever," Finn said. Kurt could have hugged him in that moment, but instead he just smiled back at Finn.

"Thank you," he said, sincerely.

Puck gestured for them all to head out the door and he clapped Finn on the back as he passed. Blaine was impressed too and told Finn how cool his power was as they all stepped into the street. Smaller boulders still ran past and so did goblins, but they didn't pay any attention to Kurt and his friends as they began carefully picking their way back toward the castle.

Once they were free to run, all four of them hurried through the streets, winding back up toward the castle, always keeping on the alert, and dodging the goblins that came into their path. For the most part, the goblins were running the opposite way, so the castle loomed closer and closer, finally within reach.

They came around a corner then, and were faced with four of the guard who drew their swords, laughing. Kurt's group stopped and Kurt glanced wildly around. Puck raised his sword but the four guards were knocked sideways by a boulder coming down the street. Kurt flashed Finn a quick smile and then they were running as fast as they could to the castle.

They didn't encounter any more goblins that weren't running for their lives, but the cannons continued to shake the city as the goblins tried to fight back against the stones. Unfortunately when they came back into the square in front of the castle steps they could see that two guards still remained at the castle doors. Though two were something Kurt felt more prepared to face, especially considering they were all that stood between him and Rachel.

The group skidded to a halt at the base of the steps and paused to communicate silently with one another. It only took the space of a couple of heartbeats before they were running up the wide stone steps and charging the doors. The goblin guards had spears but Puck still had his ridiculously long sword which he used to swipe off the pointed ends just as the others arrived. The guards were at once disarmed and forcibly manhandled out of the way. Finn picked one of them up and tossed him out toward the steps while the other shook his head and tried to escape a worse fate by simply turning and running.

The doors themselves were massive and possibly made of iron. Kurt pushed at them and was joined by Blaine, but the doors didn't give. Puck added his weight and so did Finn, and eventually the heavy doors began to swing inward, groaning under all the pressure.

Inside Kurt led them to the right, following a vague instinct. He felt like he could feel Sebastian's presence, though he couldn't have explained it to his friends. The corridor led them up a short flight of marble stairs and into a dining hall which seemed to have been abandoned in some haste. There was still food on the long table, candles still burning tall, but there was no sign of the king or of Rachel.

Kurt ran through and out the other side, the group close behind him. This room that they found themselves in now was obviously a throne room. The large black throne sat upon a raised dais at one end, and it was the only seat in the long room. It was oversized and sculpted with feet and claws at the base, with dragon heads on the arms. It gave Kurt an eerie feeling to stare at it, but he wasn't afraid the way he thought he should have been. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were close, that at any moment they were going to find the king. Determination seeped through him, keeping him calmer than he'd ever been before under pressure.

That was when Kurt saw the clock to the right of the throne. Its hands pointed almost directly up at the thirteenth hour.

"No!" he cried. He narrowed his eyes at the door behind the throne and ran toward it. "He had to have gone this way!" he said. Again it was a feeling, but it was almost overwhelming. He was so close now. Behind him, his friends followed but Kurt turned around at the last moment, his hands up.

"No, no, I have to go alone," he said as the realization hit him.

"But why?" Blaine asked, worry stealing across his features.

"Because that's the way it's done," he answered. "I have to face him now, and I have to do it alone or I won't ever get Rachel back."

"Well then," Puck said, "I won't stop you."

"But," Finn added. "If you ever need us..."

Blaine nodded slowly in agreement. "If you need us for any reason..."

"I'll call for you," Kurt promised.

They all looked a little sad then. Kurt felt a weight on his heart too.

"Thank you, all of you, for everything you've done," he said softly.

Kurt turned before they could reply and pushed through the door behind the throne, which opened to a dark and curved stone staircase. He jogged up the stairs, heart racing, but when he came around the curve the steps dropped away leaving him standing at the edge of a huge drop. He staggered back, clutching the side of the wall and looking incredulously out into a cavernous room, an expanse that made no sense to his mind or senses; he'd felt his way here, he had felt so close – but where were Rachel and Sebastian?


	12. Chapter 10

[Where we last left off]  
  
 _"No, no, I have to go alone," Kurt said as the realization hit him._  
  
 _"But why?" Blaine asked, worry stealing across his features._  
  
 _"Because that's the way it's done," he answered.  "I have to face him now, and I have to do it alone or I won't ever get Rachel back."_  
  
 _"Well then," Puck said, "I won’t stop you."_  
  
 _"But," Finn added.  "If you ever need us..."_  
  
 _Blaine nodded slowly in agreement.  "If you need us for any reason..."_  
  
 _"I'll call for you," Kurt promised._  
  
 _They all looked a little sad then.  Kurt felt a weight on his heart too._  
  
 _"Thank you, all of you, for everything you've done," he said softly._  
  
 _Kurt turned before they could reply and pushed through the door behind the throne, which opened to a dark and curved stone staircase.  He jogged up the stairs, heart racing, but when he came around the curve the steps dropped away leaving him standing at the edge of a huge drop.  He staggered back, clutching the side of the wall and looking incredulously out into a cavernous room, an expanse that made no sense to his mind or senses; he’d felt his way here, he had felt so close – but where were Rachel and Sebastian?_

  


* * *

The cavern was made entirely of stone steps. Steps that rose and fell and led to nothing.  Steps that led up and down, went every which way; some folded over in the center and some looked to be upside down.  It gave Kurt a sick feeling, like he couldn’t be entirely certain which way was up or down. They lined the walls and were both above his head and below the drop-off in front of him.  Kurt didn’t know what to make of it but he edged out carefully, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.  
  
The room was lit by dim torches along the walls and platforms like the one he stood on opened into the cavern from all sides. Stone arches, like hundreds of different doorways, led back into the shadows of the tunnel of sorts, with some tipped on their sides and some completely upside down from where he stood.  It made him dizzy to look at, but he did look.  First up into what looked like a spiral of staircases that grew slimmer and slimmer until coming to a point so far above his head it might as well be the top of a mountain.  Below him the room dropped – in some places so far there was nothing but blackness and emptiness.  In other places the stairs turned and created levels upon levels so that Kurt wasn’t sure if they really had an end or not.  It didn’t seem to have a definite shape either, but was more about the jumble of staircases that turned and led off in every which direction.  
  
Briefly, Kurt looked back over his shoulder – at least he knew what lay behind him – but he felt like he had to press on.  So he jogged down the stairs to his left, across a slim stone ledge and up another set.  When he came to the next drop-off he stepped carefully to the edge to peer over and gasped at the sight of Sebastian standing upside down beneath him.  
  
"How is it you’ve turned everything around on me?" Sebastian asked softly.  Kurt backed away from the ledge and ran up the opposite way, but he could still hear Sebastian's voice.  
  
"I'm out of options, out of ideas.  You've exhausted me," the king admitted and Kurt could hear the difference now in his voice.  He sounded weary, but Kurt kept on the move, hopping over a space above an arch in the floor.  
  
"Everything, all of this, I did for you," Sebastian whispered in a pained voice and Kurt twirled around, finding himself face to face with the king.  Sebastian came forward but before Kurt could react he was passing through Kurt like a mirage and disappearing right over the edge of the stairs that turned and led beneath.  
  
"I move the stairs for no one."  His voice faded off and Kurt felt more than a little shaken.  He felt cold all over and there were goosebumps pebbling over his arms.  What was the king talking about?  This wasn't done for him; this was done as a way to torture him, frighten him.  Kurt wasn't about to think too hard about it right now though, not when he needed to focus.  He couldn't think about the fact that he was that one who’d wished the goblins would come and take Rachel away to begin with, because if he did he might have to think that maybe Sebastian was right in some way, and that was too much to handle right now.  
  
Kurt ran the other way, through one of the stone arches and around again to a flight of stairs that led up and away from the direction the king had gone.  His running didn't seem to matter though because he could still hear Sebastian and now his words took on a songlike quality that was beautiful yet terrifying to Kurt.  
  
 _"You've run so long, you've run so far!"_  The king sang.  Kurt spun around and around but couldn't see him.  He ran across to another flight that led to the right and almost flew over the ledge at the top of it.  He skidded, glancing around for a way to go.  
  
Suddenly Sebastian was walking up over the end of the ledge, defying gravity in a way that made Kurt shrink back, his pulse racing.  
  
 _"Your eyes can be so cruel!"_ The king's song accused.   _"Just as I can be so cruel!"_ Sebastian pulled out one of the crystal balls he always had on him and he twirled it in his hand, his mouth set into a hard line.  He held it up and Kurt fixated on it, feeling uncertain.  
  
Sebastian turned and threw the ball as hard as he could across the cavern and it bounced up and over the stairs, clinking against the stone as it slipped along right up to land at Rachel's feet.  
  
 _"Oh I do believe in you!"_ Sebastian's voice rang out behind him – the haunting lilt of his song caused the hairs on the back of Kurt's neck to stand up.  
  
Rachel leaned down to pick up the ball just as Kurt cried out her name: "Rachel, over here!"  She was dressed in a golden gown with a wide sweeping skirt, her hair loose in sparkling waves.  She was standing on a ledge, much like he was, but she was far away and down below.  There didn’t seem to be a direct route to get to her.  
  
“Kurt!” she called back, but she didn’t sound afraid; she sounded surprised and almost happy.  It felt wrong after everything, it felt off to him, and he couldn’t explain why, really, except he’d been so sure she was here being tortured in some way.  She didn’t look tortured, though, nor did she look frightened.  If anything she looked a little confused while still happy to see him.  
  
 _"Yes, I do!"_ This time Sebastian’s voice was softer, but the intensity of the emotion behind it almost made it difficult for Kurt to breathe as he raced forward, trying to get to Rachel.  
  
Rachel didn't wait for Kurt though, she turned and began slowly climbing another set of steps, away from him.  
  
 _"Live without the sunlight,"_ Sebastian sang, his voice thick with something Kurt was afraid to think about.  He didn't know why Rachel wasn't waiting for him, or why the king sounded so sad when Kurt thought if anything he should be angry.  
  
 _"Love without your heartbeat."_  Kurt glanced up behind him at Sebastian and for a moment when their eyes met, Kurt felt sorry for him – for whatever sadness it was that he was feeling.  But it didn't change the fact that he knew what he was supposed to do, and that was save Rachel, who was still steadily winding her way away from him.  
  
Looks could deceive; Kurt knew from his own experiences in the labyrinth.  She might be drugged in some way or under a spell.  She might not know where she was or what was happening.  He had to get to her so they could both get back home.  
  
Kurt stepped carefully forward and found that to his right a set of stairs led down.  He didn’t have a choice really; he had to take them and try to wind up and down until he could get to Rachel.  “Wait right there!” he told her, looking back up again, but Rachel was turning away, moving back up the stairs and away from him.    
  
Kurt looked around frantically now as he jogged down the stairs, over and up another set, across a short platform.  Steps were leading him back up, but he wasn’t getting any closer to Rachel at all.  He tried to train an eye on her as she wound her way along but he had to be careful where he stepped, as sometimes the steps led to a platform and more steps... and sometimes they dropped off to nothing.  Kurt didn’t know how far the drop was, but it was far enough down that he couldn’t see the bottom at all.  
  
 _"I, I can't live within you."_ Kurt wasn't really listening to the words any more.  His desperation was beginning to get the best of him as he chased after Rachel, always keeping an eye on the train of her skirt but losing the rest of her as she ducked behind archways and somehow managed to keep just enough of a lead.  
  
Nothing was slowing Rachel down so Kurt worked to move faster, calling out for her to wait or slow down.  She didn't, however, and instead disappeared behind a series of stone arches several flights above Kurt.  His breath was started to come in pants and there was an uncomfortable stitch in his side, but he used his hands to help him up the steps and he ran when he came to level ground.  Rachel had managed to disappear from his line of sight but he stayed on course, turned left and ran up the next set of steps towards where he'd last seen her.  
  
His eyes cast around frantically for any sign of his friend and he called out several times.  When Kurt looked up he gasped: she was above him, directly above, standing on the underside of a ledge, her dress and her hair defying gravity right along with her.  Before Kurt could even speak she was gone again with a swish of her golden dress.  
  
Kurt ran after her again, but now he'd lost sight of her.  He called out, spinning around several times; the whole while his heart beat frantically in his chest.  What if this was how it all ended?  Somehow Sebastian had Rachel under a spell that kept her always moving away from him until time ran out and she was trapped forever.   _They_ were trapped.  He'd never see his dad again, and Rachel wouldn't see her dads either.  No one would ever know what had happened to them.  It made Kurt angry and horribly sad all at the same time.  
  
Rachel appeared again – not too far away – and Kurt hurried to catch her.  When he came to another ledge and looked down he could see that she was seated this time on an arch that was laying down, giving the appearance of a hole in the ground.  Even though he'd seen her standing upside down, Kurt couldn't be sure she wouldn't fall because the rules here didn't make any sense.  If there were any rules at all.  
  
Kurt cast around for the quickest way to get to her, but there wasn't one, not really.  So he summoned his courage, took a deep breath, and jumped off the ledge, intending to roll as he hit the stone beneath him.  His eyes were screwed tightly shut, but when he didn't hit the ground in the time he thought he should, Kurt opened his eyes to see that he was falling as the room broke apart silently around him, bits of stone and staircase drifting around him.  
  
When his feet touched down he was standing on a bit of stony ledge, the broken pieces of the great cavern floating and turning above him like asteroids against a bright starry backdrop.  Kurt didn't know where he was or where the castle and Rachel had gone but he wasn't impressed.  Whatever Sebastian was up to now, Kurt was not amused.  As if summoned by Kurt’s thoughts alone, Sebastian stepped from behind a jagged half pillar and walked toward Kurt.  Gone was the head-to-toe black Kurt was so used to seeing him in.  Now he was dressed in creams and fur, a long silk cape flowing out behind him in the warm breeze.  The look in his eyes was as cautious as it was serious.  
  
"Give me my friend.  Give me Rachel." Kurt was finished with all of this.  He'd come through the labyrinth, he'd come in time, and now Sebastian was using more tricks to keep them prisoner.  
  
"Careful, Kurt.  I've been generous up to this point, but I can be cruel," Sebastian spoke as he circled Kurt.  In the beginning this might have made Kurt close in on himself, wrap his arms across his chest tightly, but now he stood taller.  It wasn't even false bravado.  If there were no more rules, if he might not ever get himself and Rachel home, then there wasn't much left to lose – he certainly wasn't going to go down being afraid or bullied.  
  
Kurt's mouth dropped open, incredulous at the thought of Sebastian's supposed generosity.  "Generous," he tried the word out on his tongue, head tipping to the right as he watch Sebastian closely.  It didn't fit.  There's no way it ever could.  "What all have you done that's been generous?" he asked, his voice rising on the end as the anger in him began to well up and bubble over.  
  
"Everything!" Sebastian was quick to answer, his voice on edge as he leaned right into Kurt's space.  It made Kurt's heart trip up and his pulse race.  He didn't close his eyes or hide now though, because he wasn't afraid.  Sebastian's flashing eyes were so close, his presence so big, yet Kurt just stood straighter.  He wasn't going to be intimidated any longer.  
  
"I've done everything for you, everything you asked!" No matter what he said Sebastian continued his circling and Kurt turned with him, watching him, completely at a loss for a response.  
  
"You asked for Rachel to be taken, and I took her!  You cowered before me and I was frightening!  You wanted adventure and I gave you the greatest adventure of your life!  I've moved time and space to accommodate your whims, turned the world upside down for you.  I’ve done every last thing for you!" His voice was barely above an urgent whisper on the last few words as he drew up short and stepped close to Kurt again.  
  
"I'm exhausted from trying to live up to your expectations," Sebastian murmured as his face took on an open and earnest look: his eyes wider, his mouth softer.  Kurt couldn’t keep up with the endlessly shifting emotions Sebastian seemed to display; his mind was reeling.  None of this made any sense to him.  "Isn't all that generous?" he asked Kurt.  
  
Kurt didn't have an answer for him, at least not one he probably wanted to hear.  He stepped forward, drawing himself up tall and straight.  He knew what he had to do now.  The magic that had brought them both here, the wish – it had to be made with the exact right wording.  Kurt was suddenly sure that the same was required to end it.  He was more than ready to end this. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City.  For my will is as strong as yours–"  
  
"Don't!" Sebastian threw up his hands, backing away as Kurt began advancing on him.  "Don't do this, Kurt, you don't have to."  He looked panicked and Kurt smiled.  He'd guessed and it looked like he'd guessed right.  
  
"My will is as strong as yours," Kurt continued, stepping forward again.  
  
"Just wait," Sebastian urged.  "Look what I have to offer, Kurt. I can give you your dreams." He lifted his hand and a crystal ball materialized in his palm.  He turned it and flourished it so Kurt could see into it, but Kurt wasn't looking now, not really.  
  
"And my kingdom is great..." Kurt felt the tightness in his chest expand.  He could do this.  He could end this right now. It was an incredible feeling.  He just had to stay strong and this could all be over.  
  
"Kurt," Sebastian was close to pleading.  It wasn't going to stop Kurt now, though.  "I'm asking for so little, don't you see that?  Let me be your king and you can have anything you want."  
  
If he had the time to do it he might explain to Sebastian that no one was ever going to rule him, but Kurt didn't want to waste another breath in this place if he didn't absolutely have to.  
  
"My kingdom is great," Kurt began again but he couldn't remember the next part.  He dipped his head in thought.  "What is that line?  I can never remember that part.  My kingdom is great..." Well, this was frustrating.  He cast his eyes around, his mind working fast over the lines from _The Labyrinth_.  He must have read the book a thousand times and acted it out in his backyard almost as much too.  That last line always tripped him up.  Kurt scowled in concentration.  
  
"Please, Kurt, submit to me.  Love me.  If you do that my kingdom could be yours.  Just do as I say and I will be your slave."  
  
Kurt wasn't looking at him now; he was going back over the lines, mumbling them as he tried to remember.  He wished he had that book with him.  When he was younger he'd carried it around like a favorite toy, playacting by himself in the backyard.  The ending had always tripped him up for some reason.  
  
"My kingdom is great," he whispered for the fourth time and then he remembered the next part at last.  "My kingdom is great," Kurt lifted his eyes to Sebastian's and for a minute everything seemed to hang in the air between them.  Sebastian's pleading, Kurt's determination, and so many unspoken matters hung heavy between them.  
  
"You have no power over me," Kurt said it firmly, though he didn't raise his voice at all.  It was like a revelation.  All this time he'd felt so helpless, and that just wasn't the case.  Sebastian's face fell and Kurt's words echoed around them even though he'd spoken softly.  
  
This time when the world dropped away Kurt felt ready for it.  A clock was chiming in the distance and the wind picked up to the point that he had to close his eyes, but when the wind died down and Kurt opened his eyes, he was standing in his living room.  Sebastian was gone but in his place was the snowy owl.  It flew around Kurt once and then was out the window before Kurt could even blink.  
  
The chiming clock now drew Kurt's attention.  It was his own clock, chiming midnight.  Kurt stared at the clock, remembering that it had only been about nine when all of this began.  He hesitated, trying to makes sense of the loss of time but when the last chime died away, Kurt sprinted for the stairs to the basement.  "Rachel," he called, taking the steps several at a time.  "Rachel?" He swung around the end of the stairwell and there Rachel was: asleep on her side of Kurt's bed, her face peaceful, one hand curled up by her cheek.  
  
Kurt crossed the room, anxiously watching her for any sign that she wasn't perfectly well.  She was in her pink flannel pajamas, pink slippers set neatly on the floor where she'd taken them off before climbing into bed.  "Rachel."  He shook her shoulder, trying not to let himself panic.  
  
"Wha– Kurt?  What is it?  Did you have a nightmare?" she asked as she pulled herself up in the bed and rubbed at her eyes.  
  
"Yes, I think I did," he admitted, then he scooped her up into what was probably a crushing hug because she let out a mild yelp in response.  Kurt relaxed his grip just a little but he was tucked in around her now and he didn't have it in him to let go.  She was safe, they were safe – the words repeated over in his head as Rachel gathered him closer still and Kurt realized he was crying.  
  
"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, his voice scratchy and muffled against Rachel's hair.  
  
"Shh, I'm right here," she murmured.  
  
"I didn't think we'd ever be free. And it would have been all my fault!" Kurt was giving in now; he couldn't keep it all inside.  He'd been so stressed, so afraid, and now all of that was swimming to the surface as he quietly broke down in his best friend's arms.  
  
"It was just a dream," Rachel rubbed at his back, trying to reassure him, and Kurt wanted so badly to believe her, to just let that be true. _It was just a dream_.  He tried the idea out in his head, but Sebastian's glimmering eyes swam to the forefront of his mind.  That wounded, lonely look he'd had in his eyes just before Kurt ended it all.  It was real, too real.  Wasn't it?  He sagged against Rachel for a moment, body and mind verging on exhaustion.  
  
The labyrinth wasn't a real place; it was a fantasy born out of a book he'd been obsessed with as a child.  He'd dreamed of it often enough, he'd fantasized about going, he'd acted it out a thousand times.  It wasn't real, it wasn't.  His mind grabbed hold of this idea and clung to it, much the same way he clung to Rachel.  She was real, this was real.  
  
"I'm sorry we fought," she murmured, "I haven't been a very good friend to you, Kurt, but I want to be. I’ll try to be.”  
  
"It was just a dream," Kurt tried the words out and it felt good to say it.  He needed it to be true.  When he pulled back a couple of minutes later he smiled at Rachel's tear-streaked cheeks and she smiled back.  
  
"Are you okay?  Are we okay now?" Rachel asked, still holding onto his hand.  It felt good.  He felt grounded.  
  
"I'm okay.  We're okay," he told her.  In all the important ways, it was true.  They were here, they were safe, and they were still best friends.  They were okay.  Kurt couldn’t help but wonder if he unfinished business though; if he was okay, why did his hands refuse to stop shaking?  
  
Eventually he was able to change into his pajamas and climb under the covers, his mind pleasantly numb from overload, his terrible nightmare fading into the background.  Kurt hadn't planned to fall back asleep, but he did so accidentally, his exhaustion dragging him under so quietly that he never even noticed it was happening.  He fell asleep with his fingers linked through Rachel's and if he dreamed, he couldn't remember in the morning what the dream had been about.  
  
The next few weeks made it easy to push aside the memories of his horrible nightmare.  There was a lot to do before Mckinley’s graduation, and one thing in particular that Kurt was determined to straighten out: he was going to try his best to find out why he hadn't been accepted into NYADA and if he could, he was going to put it right.  Kurt couldn't put his finger on the source of his renewed confidence but he wasn't about to waste another day being sad about his future.  If he couldn't get in for the fall semester then he was going to try for the winter semester and he wasn't going to stop until he achieved his goal.  There was a reason he didn't have a backup school, and that's because NYADA was where he knew he needed to be.  
  
As often is the case for Kurt, sheer determination just wasn't enough for Carmen Tibideaux.  He couldn't get another audition and he wasn't going to be accepted without one.  Rachel went off to New York while Kurt tried to come up with his own way to the big city.    
  
It came from an unexpected place.  Kurt hadn’t been actively looking for a job until he realized that any one he took was going to be a stepping stone and not a stopping place.  Four weeks after Rachel moved, almost to the day, Kurt followed her with an emergency credit card, enough money to put down on a cheap apartment somewhere, and one Vogue.com interview set in two weeks.  He was literally moving on a wing and a prayer, but it was right – he felt it deep in his bones and his father wholeheartedly agreed, though leaving his dad took a completely different kind of strength.  
  
He found a loft in Bushwick that was just rundown enough for he and Rachel to afford and together they hunted through the city for scrap pieces of furniture, filling the place with an eclectic mix of cast-off pieces that managed to feel shabby chic instead of just shabby.  Kurt adored it.  By the time he went to his interview their place was already starting to feel more and more like home.  
  
Getting the internship at Vogue.com felt like a sign, like Kurt was exactly where he was meant to be.  It wasn't NYADA, not yet, but he wasn't giving up hope and for now he could pour his creativity into something he loved.  Even when he was mostly answering phones or serving coffee, Kurt felt he was a part of something worthwhile.  Before long he was sitting in on meetings with Isabelle and the design team – that in itself was like a dream come true.  
  
Kurt didn't hear back from NYADA during that time, though he continued to pursue it on a regular basis.  He met Rachel's new friends, he perused the blogs to keep up with the school's current events, and he even began slipping into one of the studios early every Tuesday and Thursday morning to work out with Rachel.  
  
Toward the end of fall, Kurt began getting discouraged.  He tried to hang on to his determination, tried to tell himself every day when he woke up that he was where he was supposed to be and that NYADA was something he could make happen.  He wanted nothing more than one more chance, but it didn't look like that chance was ever going to come his way. 

In a last ditch effort to salvage his dream, Kurt began camping out at Madam Tibideaux's favorite coffee house, with plans to ambush her during her early morning Café Miel.  She came with an assistant for the first five days and the next week Kurt was late the first day and missed her by ten minutes.  He was starting to think the coffee house ambush plan of 2012 was ill advised, but he hadn't come up with a backup plan yet.  The next morning, Kurt got to the shop before it opened and as he waited he wondered what he was doing with his life.  Stalking Madam Tibideaux was beginning to feel a little on the desperate side.  It was starting to feel like maybe all of this was a sign that he ought to start thinking of a better use of his time; such as applying to another school.

The guy that opened the coffee house that morning took one look at him, pulled him in by his sleeve, and sat him down.  Then he brewed Kurt the freshest cup of mocha he'd ever had and sat down across from him.  Puck, his nametag read.  Kurt couldn't remember actually seeing him in the shop before, he would have remembered the mohawk, but at the same time he must have because Puck looked awfully familiar.

"You've caught her on a busy week, dude.  She's getting ready for the Winter Showcase so she'll have Melanie with her at least until Wednesday.  That's when the invitations go out." Puck explained.  "If you're going to catch her you're going to have to do it while Melanie gets their coffee, and before you ask, no I don't think you should wait any longer.  You were determined enough to be here every day, which means you want it.  So go for it.  What do you have to lose?"

  
Twenty minutes later when Madam Tibideaux arrived and her assistant Melanie went to get their coffee, Kurt stepped right in and said hello.  He introduced himself, not knowing if she would remember who he was.  She did, though she didn't look very amused by his sudden presence.  She remembered Kurt though, remembered his audition, and she told him plainly that he was talented, very talented, but that he lacked depth and heart.  
  
"This is a school for artists," she'd told him, and Kurt thanked her and left with his mind in a jumble.  He thought of himself as an artist, but he knew in his heart that she was right about his audition.  It was loud and flashy like everything else about Kurt.  He knew he had heart, in spades, but he wasn't sure how to present that to Carmen in the way she wanted.  
  
 _Never Give Up_.  Puck had written on his coffee cup.  He’d even drawn a winking smiley face below it.  Kurt decided he wouldn’t give up Broadway, but it might be time to find another way there.  
  
When Rachel was invited to perform at the Winter Showcase, Kurt had to be honest with her.  He was applying one last time, for the following semester, and if he didn't get in, he was pursuing something else.  NYADA wasn't the only way to Broadway; besides, he'd come to know that he had plenty of worth outside of show business.  He didn't want to waste any more of his life on something that wasn't going to embrace his full potential.  Instead he'd look into other schools and start fresh in the spring.  Rachel hugged him tight and neither of them said what was really on their minds: that they both still felt like he belonged at NYADA, whether Carmen saw it or not.  
  
Apparently Tibideaux had indeed seen something in Kurt because she surprised everyone by announcing at the Winter Showcase that Kurt would sing for them all.  He had nothing prepared, he didn't have anything to change into, and it took all of his courage to stand in the corridor with Rachel trying to come up with a plan rather than bolt for the nearest exit.  Kurt Hummel didn't run from his fears though, not anymore.  
  
Ultimately he chose “Being Alive” and poured every bit of his heart and soul into singing it.  There were no props, no flashy costumes, just Kurt standing before the audience, vulnerable and exposed as he sang.  He thought back over his life so far, especially of high school and the struggle to be himself, of the hope that he'd find someone to be with who'd accept him as he was.  Someone he could share the ups and downs of life with, even if only for a while.  He'd not found anyone like that in small town Ohio, but he had hopes for New York.  He felt almost as if he knew what that would feel like, to be loved.  To have someone in his life that made him aware every day that he was alive.  It was almost like a memory, it felt that tangible, but Kurt knew it was really a dream, a hope.  He hadn't even realized he was crying until the song was over.  
  
As the last notes faded, the crowd came to their feet, stunning Kurt with their applause and cheering.  He knew that no matter what happened now, he would always remember that moment, when he'd made the connection with that audience.  It wasn't the first time he'd poured his self into song, but it was the first time he'd done it in front of such a big audience and for such an important reason.  In his heart he felt that no matter what happened with NYADA he could be proud of giving it everything he had.  
  
His acceptance letter came just a few days before Christmas and Rachel had to dial Burt up for him because he literally couldn't move.  They spent that first Christmas in New York together with Burt amidst happy tears, fond memories, and so much joy that Kurt was sure their happy little bubble was visible as a bright warm glow from the street below.  
  
The idea had originally been for Kurt and Rachel to get ready and go in to school early together but Rachel wound up stuck on a phone call from home.  It wasn't anything like a family emergency but once her dads got an idea into their heads it was better to just let them get it all out at once unless you wanted multiple texts and phone calls throughout the day.  Kurt left on his own because Rachel would be just fine slipping in at the last minute, but he was going to need some time to pick up his schedule and find his way around.  
  
NYADA was a gorgeous school.  Of course Kurt had seen all the pictures online, but the first time he'd actually gone with Rachel to the dance studio, he'd been enchanted by it all: the sleek modern lines, the long white halls, impossibly high ceilings, the stainless steel accents, even the choice pieces of art that carefully accented the rooms.  The concert hall was the stuff of acoustic dreams and the dance studio was wide and bright; it felt like a living thing even when there was no one else there.  Kurt was sure he could feel the talent pulsing through the school, bits and pieces left behind by all the former students who'd gone on to greatness after leaving her hallowed halls.  Even now, nervous with first day jitters, Kurt felt that same awe as he entered the foyer and looked around.  It was tempting to stand there and bask, but Kurt had places to be and a schedule to pick up.  He turned and made a beeline for the office.  
  
There weren't many people in the office that morning, and the line was only two people long.  Kurt waited patiently, and only a few moments later he was up.  The guy behind the counter was all smiles.  His name tag read “Finn.”  Finn.  He said hello and Kurt was pretty sure he'd said something polite back but he couldn't think; the Finn from Kurt's dream, who had only ever been in a pink satin French period costume, was standing behind the counter looking completely normal in a white button down, a tan tie, and a cream colored sweater that made him look both warm and professional.  Not at all like someone who ought to be flitting around in strange dreams.  
  
"You're Kurt, right?  Kurt Hummel?  I saw you sing.  It was pretty awesome, I gotta say." Finn was multitasking while he talked, presumably pulling Kurt's information up on the computer.  
  
Kurt wasn't quite as calm – in fact, he was pretty sure he was gaping at Finn in shock because seriously, how could Kurt have thought up a guy that was actually real and even given him the same name in his imagination?  It was impossible.  Had he seen him somewhere?  Months ago, in Ohio?  Kurt was shaking his head as Finn started piling his schedule and several campus fliers on the counter.  
  
"Look, I know all of this is a lot to take in Kurt.  But you're among good people here.  We all fight for ourselves and our own glory here, but we look out for our own too.  You know where to find me, if you need me..." Finn was smiling at Kurt and it was all just a little overwhelming.  He gathered his papers up with a quick nod and then turned to hurry out of the office.  He kept going like that back across the wide foyer and up the main stairs until he turned a corner and found himself in an empty hall where he could slump against the wall and just breathe for a moment.  
  
Finn.  Kurt closed his eyes and saw that same smile, the one that meant trust and friendship.  That couldn't be though, could it?  He didn't have an explanation for it, but there had to be a rational one, didn't there?  Kurt hadn't let himself think about the dream for months now.  He didn't want to remember the feeling of being trapped, of being hopeless, but oddly enough thinking about Finn didn't bring up any of those feelings.  
  
In fact, if Kurt were being completely honest, the only thing he was feeling beyond incredulity was happiness.  He let his mind wander over his memories of the Finn from his dream.  Finn was someone anyone would be lucky to have backing them, completely loyal and kind and brave.  The Finn here at NYADA felt exactly that same way to Kurt and his parting words – _if you need me_ – echoed in Kurt's mind as if from some faraway place.  
  
Kurt wasn't sure how long he'd been slumped against the wall there but when he came back to the present the hall was filled with other students hurrying this way and that to their first classes.  Quickly Kurt pulled out his schedule and saw that his first class was Acting I and it was starting in ten minutes.  Unfortunately, Kurt wasn't entirely acquainted with all of the campus so he pulled out his map and tried to find the right classroom, feeling a little bit overwhelmed again.  
  
"Okay, that's it, I'm lost." Kurt wasn't really saying this to anyone other than himself but right away someone stopped to help and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief as he looked up.  
  
"It's my first day too, but I might have arrived before the doors were even open this morning, so maybe I can help you out," the boy offered, his friendly smile the only thing keeping Kurt from a nervous breakdown.  He took the schedule from Kurt gently and Kurt stood helplessly, his mouth hanging open.  
  
Blaine, his mind supplied when his mouth refused to work.  Blaine and Finn and Puck, like pieces of a puzzle snapping into place.  They were all real and they were here, and Kurt should be terrified by it but he was mostly just shocked by what it meant.  It was actually difficult not to launch himself at Blaine and hug him and basically make a scene here in the hall of NYADA.  
  
"You're almost there, see?" Blaine was pointing on the map and Kurt tried to focus because really, class was about to start and not even dreams come alive could stop him from going to class.  Not after all of his fighting just to be here.  After class?  Then he could fall apart all over again and try to figure out what this all meant.  He was too rushed and too confused just then, so the next logical conclusion he might have made under normal circumstances didn't come to him.  He thanked Blaine, took back his map, and jogged down the hall to class with only a few minutes to spare, Blaine's voice calling after him as he hurried away, "Hey Kurt, if you ever need..."  
  
 _"If you need us for any reason..."_  
  
 _"I'll call for you..."_  
  
They hadn’t introduced themselves.  At least not today.  
  
Kurt took his seat along with the rest of the class in front of the practice stage.  The professor – well, Kurt was assuming he was the professor – was standing to the side of the stage whispering with a young woman who had her hands full of papers.  It was all just a little bit outside of Kurt just then though.  His mind was struggling just to be here and be present.  It was a testament to how determined he was that he didn't leap out of his seat when a cursory glance over his shoulder had him locking eyes with Sebastian.  
  
It was a shock to see him in plainclothes.  It wasn’t a shock to actually see him, because some part of Kurt had been expecting it.  Seeing him in faded blue jeans and a vivid blue v-neck tee made it hard to see him as the intimidating figure that had stolen away his best friend and forced him to jump through hoops just to get her back.  He looked normal sitting there.  He looked good.  Kurt had to tear his eyes away when he realized he was staring.  
  
The class began and Kurt kept up with it, in spite of the circumstances and the fact that his mind was flooded with memories from his time in the labyrinth.  After having kept such tight control over them all this time, Kurt felt as if his mind was trying to make up for lost time with vivid details like the way Sebastian's eyes had shimmered as they danced or the way his mouth had tightened as they fought.  The sense of completeness he’d felt when he met each challenge set forth by the four horsemen and the thrill of defeating the Goblin Market and Sue.  The fear of wondering if he'd be able to rescue Rachel and the sheer joy and relief when he'd realized he'd had the answer all along.  The way Sebastian had changed in the very end, the way he'd pleaded with Kurt to stay.  Everything was there, from the way the sky had looked overhead to the way the stone and dirt had felt under his feet.  Every detail was available like never before and Kurt found himself wanting to savor it and pick it apart; there just wasn't time right now, sitting in class on his first day.  
  
The most amazing thing he realized in that moment was that he wasn't afraid of Sebastian now.  Maybe he should have been, maybe he should have wondered if the king was there for some sort of retribution, but deep down Kurt was sure he wasn't and he couldn't find one tiny bit of himself that was afraid that Sebastian might be there to harm him or Rachel.  Instead of fear, Kurt was curious.  He wanted to pull Sebastian aside and ask him what he was doing here, and why he'd come now, and how he'd gotten there.  He wanted to know how Blaine, Finn, and Puck were there too and what it all meant.  Once he was satisfied with all of those answers he had about a million about his time in the labyrinth.  
  
Kurt was restless in his seat, though he kept his eyes trained on the professor as he outlined what the class would entail and what would be expected of each student.  When he made them stand up and introduce themselves, Sebastian told everyone that he was raised in Paris and that his name was Sebastian Smythe, and he smiled at Kurt so familiarly that Kurt felt his own mouth quirk up involuntarily in response.  Sebastian finished by saying he wanted to be an actor and when he was done and back in his seat he winked at Kurt, causing warmth to blossom inside him.  
  
When Kurt's turn came he found it difficult to look at anyone other than Sebastian as he spoke.  He shared his dream of the Broadway stage and not one person was surprised.  The professor simply asked Kurt what his favorite show on Broadway currently was and his peers didn't smirk or laugh.  Kurt took a moment to let that sink in.  Again he realized that he fit here, so much better than he had back home, and that while he was in for some fierce competition, no one here thought it was funny that Kurt wanted to be a star.  Before he sat down, Kurt was smiling.    
  
After class, Sebastian was slow to gather his things.  Kurt recognized the tactic because he was employing the same one.  The other students filed out of the room, leaving Kurt and Sebastian to walk quietly toward the door almost side by side.  When they reached the doorway Kurt paused, his hand tightening on his satchel.  He glanced over at Sebastian whose face seemed carefully guarded.  "I'm not afraid of you," Kurt whispered.  The sentence was full of so much more surprise than Kurt meant to convey.  
  
"Good," Sebastian answered softly, his lips quirking to the side in a half smile.  
  
"You're not going to ruin this for me, either, Sebastian." Kurt told him firmly.  
  
"That's not why I'm here," Sebastian whispered.  
  
Kurt's heart was speeding up and he felt just a little too warm suddenly.  "Why _are_ you here?" he asked, the words coming out just a little too quickly, all on top of each other.  
  
"Have coffee with me." Sebastian smiled fully now and Kurt didn't have a proper response ready for that.  Other students were filing in now and Kurt knew he needed to be off to his next class.  
  
"We can talk about anything, everything.  Have coffee with me this afternoon and if you decide you never want to see me again, I'll stay away from you." Sebastian pitched his voice low so they wouldn't be overheard.  
  
"Fine," Kurt quipped.  "Meet me at La Colombe at three."  
  
"I'll see you there, Kurt." Sebastian promised.  Then he winked and took off down the hall.  
  
Kurt had to spend a little time gathering his wits about him but eventually he pulled it together and got himself to his next class.  
  
NYADA turned out to be everything Kurt had hoped and dreamed it would be – plus a lot more that he couldn't have imagined.  Mondays he had his Acting I class, Intro to Technical Theatre, and finally Dance 101 with Cassie July, which had been a trip and a half.  It was exhilarating to be worked so hard and even though Kurt was exhausted (and sore in places he hadn’t known he could even feel sore in), he was happy.  In fact, he was elated.  Evening classes were basic courses, but only on Wednesday and Friday which meant he had the afternoon off.  After promising Rachel an evening of dishing and celebrating, Kurt took off for La Colombe for his coffee date, the word date getting stuck in his head in all sorts of strange ways before he had to purposefully avoid thinking it.  
  
Kurt had only been to La Colombe a couple of times since coming to New York.  It was a little out of the way, but the coffee was great and the atmosphere was bright and busy, which were two things he was hoping would be helpful.  The fact that it was nowhere near NYADA meant he might just be able to avoid running into anyone he knew, mainly Rachel.  He was going to have to sit down with her and have a serious conversation; however, he had no idea if she even remembered the Labyrinth considering they'd never once spoken about it and Kurt had convinced himself after all this time that it was just a dream.  
  
He spent his time on the subway letting himself think about everything he'd had to put in the back of his mind during class.  Specifically how he felt about seeing Sebastian now.  Without a reference for why Sebastian was there, it was hard.  Kurt still had to work out how he felt about his trip through the labyrinth now that he knew it was all real.  It was enough to make his head ache, though he was filled with a quiet thrill that hummed in the background of his thoughts.  It was all real.  The world as he knew it was never going to be the same.  
  
Sebastian was already waiting when he got there.  Kurt filed into the line, ordered himself a skinny mocha, and pointedly did not stare at Sebastian while he waited.  When he finally had his coffee in hand, he navigated the little tables over to the window where Sebastian was seated and slipped into the chair across from him.  
  
"Hello, Kurt." Sebastian sat his cup down and folded his hands on the table, his green eyes fairly sparkling in the sunlight that filtered in through the wide window.  
  
"Sebastian.  Smythe, wasn't it?  From... Paris?" Kurt arched an eyebrow at Sebastian, waiting.  
  
Sebastian chuckled and shrugged a little.  "It's not like anyone would believe the truth, is it?" he asked.  
  
"What is the truth?" Kurt wondered aloud.  
  
"The truth is, I'm Fey.  I wasn't always the King of Goblins, but I was born in Fairy." Sebastian said it in the same tone of voice one might discuss the weather.  
  
Sebastian's voice was quiet so there was no chance anyone would overhear.  "Over a thousand years ago I was left in charge and I built the labyrinth as an amusement, but really all it did was keep everyone out.  It worked perfectly until the day you called on my goblins.  But that's not really the whole truth either," he admitted.  
  
"I'd seen you before, and I'm sure you'd seen me, too.  You'd been travelling to my world in your dreams since you were a child.  I'd planned for years to find a way to meet you but you chose the method of our meeting.  You called on the goblins to take your friend away, and they did, setting the whole tale in motion.  After that I was following protocol, doing everything I thought you wanted.  Of course I kept Rachel happy.  She completely charmed my court, you know.  She’d probably make an amazing queen if she weren’t so determined to pursue a stage career.” Sebastian smiled and his eyes flitted away as if he was remembering something.  It was making Kurt’s head pound almost as hard as his heart was thumping in his chest.  
  
“I didn’t want any of that,” Kurt said, firmly.  
  
“I know that now, of course.” Sebastian glanced back at Kurt, his face turning serious as he leaned forward.  “But can you honestly say that it was all bad?  Can you tell me that being in the labyrinth didn’t also give you insights and strengths that you hadn’t known before?”  
  
That was the crux of it all, wasn't it?  Kurt might not have had time to sort it all out in his mind, but there were some things that were just obvious.  Before the labyrinth, Kurt had felt defeated and directionless.  After, he'd come back more determined than ever to fulfill his Broadway dreams, and those of finding someone to share his heart with.  He couldn't deny the effect that had on his life.  
  
"No," Kurt conceded simply, shaking his head just a little.  Of course, he still didn't know why Sebastian was here now.  Why the others were there either.  "Why are you all here? Why now?" Kurt fixed him with what he hoped was a steely gaze and not one that showed he was finding it hard not to hang on every one of Sebastian's words.  
  
"I gave it all up." Sebastian shrugged a little and leaned back.  Kurt felt his mouth fall open in surprise but he didn't say anything and Sebastian continued.  "I'd been alone in that labyrinth for so long that I'd stopped being able to feel anything.  Not happiness or sadness or fear or hope.  You changed all of that for me and at the time, I thought the solution was to keep you there.  If I could give you everything you wanted and you stayed, then I could be happy.  But you didn't want what I could offer and you didn't want to stay.  You wanted to be here with your family and your friends and your future.  I was wrong for trying to take that from you and I've come to apologize for what I did and ask for a second chance.  I'd like for us to know each other here in your world as equals, but if that's not something you're interested in then I'll go my own way and leave you alone."  
  
"And the others?" Kurt asked.  
  
"They're free too.  Of their own volition, of course.  We're not a package deal, if that's what you're worried about." Vulnerability was creeping into Sebastian's face.  It was almost too honest and open to look at and Kurt found himself wondering what it would be like to get to know Sebastian, to let him in close.  If Kurt was honest, he'd admit the attraction between them and the pull inside his gut – it told Kurt this was the man of his dreams, literally.  He wasn't ready for that kind of honesty yet though.  
  
Sebastian must have seen something in his face because he leaned in again, his voice slightly urgent.  "Just give me a chance," he pleaded.  Kurt couldn't help it then.  He already knew he was going to give Sebastian a chance.  He was completely drawn to him, fascinated by him, and maybe deep down in a place Kurt wasn't really able to acknowledge yet, just a little bit in love with him.  
  
"We're not dating," Kurt told him, a smile starting to pull at the corner of his mouth.  
  
“Alright,” Sebastian agreed, lips quirking to the side.  
  
“We’re just getting to know each other right now,” Kurt continued.  
  
“Okay.” Sebastian was beginning to smile again.  
  
“And you’re going to have to meet my father and the rest of my family if you want it to be more than just that,” Kurt smirked.  
  
Sebastian seemed to consider this point.  “Is your father as strong-willed as you?”  
  
“Oh yes,” Kurt assured him.  “And I take it you remember Rachel?”  
  
"Oh yes,” Sebastian nodded seriously.  Then he grinned.  “I can't wait," he laughed softly.  
  
"Good.  Then I'll be expecting you and the rest of the gang for dinner tonight and you can help explain all of this to Rachel." Kurt folded his hands on the table, his grin wide and happy.  
  
Sebastian was shaking his head but the laughter was still spilling out of him and charging the atmosphere with relief and hope and joy.  "You're going to enjoy torturing me endlessly, aren't you?"  
  
"Of course," Kurt chuckled, his cheeks heating ever so slightly at the thought.  “So you better get used to it.”  
  
"...I think I'm going to enjoy that," Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow slightly almost in wonder at himself, and Kurt huffed a laugh at that.  The two of them sat quietly watching each other, their coffees completely forgotten.  
  
When Sebastian spoke again his voice was thoughtful.  “I can’t tell what you’re thinking right now.”  
  
“I was thinking about fairytales and dreams coming true,” Kurt admitted a little shyly before biting into his lip, grinning.  
  
“Is this your _happily ever after_ then?” Sebastian asked, genuinely curious for Kurt’s take on the situation.  
“No,” he shook his head.  “This is my _once upon a time_.” Kurt reached his hand across the table and Sebastian took it gently in his own and the two of them smiled at one another with the understanding that while this was just the beginning, happily ever after couldn’t be too far behind.  
  
The End.


End file.
